Lucknow, June 10 (IANS) The 31-year-old Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata fired a bogey-free eight-under 62 to surge into a two-shot lead after round two of the inaugural Rs 25 lakh DP World PGTI NexGen Vijay Kumar Memorial being played at Lucknow Golf Club in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Chowrasia (70-62), the nephew of Indian golfing legend SSP Chawrasia, who had shot an opening round of 70, climbed from tied 13th to the top of the leaderboard at a total score of eight-under 132. The Kolkata golfer, currently sixth on the PGTI NexGen Order of Merit, produced the lowest round of the tournament with eight birdies and no bogeys on Wednesday.

Overnight leader Abhishek Kumar (65-69) of Panchkula slipped to second place at six-under 134 after carding a second successive bogey-free round of one-under 69.

Chowrasia, winner of the last NexGen event, the Alpha Sports Academy Golf Championship hosted by Patna Golf Club, started his round from the par-4 ninth in the shotgun format. He picked up three birdies on his opening nine before catching fire on his second nine, where he added five more birdies, including four consecutive gains from the third through the sixth hole.

Chowrasia, now looking to win back-to-back titles on the NexGen, said, “I got off to a steady start and was three-under through my first nine holes. The momentum really picked up on the second nine, where I made four consecutive birdies from the third to the sixth,” Sunit said. “I kept the ball in play, gave myself plenty of opportunities, and was able to convert the chances I created.”

He added, “I hit my irons particularly well, especially on the par-3s, where I was able to get the ball close to the flag. Most of my birdies came from good approach shots that left me relatively short putts.”

The 24-year-old Abhishek Kumar, who won the season-opening NexGen event in Faridabad, currently ranks fourth on the Order of Merit. Abhishek admitted patience was crucial on a day when he frequently had to recover from difficult positions.

Abhishek said, “The course tested my patience today. There were a few holes where I found myself in tricky spots, including one on the sixth where I was blocked by a tree, but I managed to recover well and stay patient throughout the round.”

Looking ahead to the final round, Abhishek added, “This event is special because it carries Vijay Kumar’s name. He always encouraged and guided young players, so it would be very meaningful to do well here.”

The 41-year-old Pawan Kumar of Delhi followed up his opening-round 67 with a two-under 68 to move into sole third place at five-under 135. Noida’s Bipin Mukhiya (70-67), the current NexGen Order of Merit leader, Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam (68-69), who currently ranks third on the NexGen standings, and fifteen-year-old Arjunveer Shishir (69-68) of Panchkula shared fourth place at three-under 137. Rishi Kumar of Lucknow was the other local player in the top-10 as he was placed tied seventh at two-under 138.

The 36-hole cut fell at six-over 146, with 39 of the 71 players advancing to the final round.

The winner of the 2026 DP World PGTI NexGen Order of Merit will earn an exemption on the main tour for the 2027 season.

–IANS

hs/bsk/