Varanasi, June 17 (IANS) The 31-year-old Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata carded a course record score of six-under 64 to move into a two-shot lead at nine-under 131 after round two of the inaugural INR 25 lakh PGTI NexGen – Varanasi being played at the BLW Greens Golf Course in Varanasi on Wednesday.

Chowrasia (67-64), the current PGTI NexGen Order of Merit leader, arrived in Varanasi riding a wave of momentum after consecutive victories at the Alpha Sports Academy Golf Championship hosted by Patna Golf Club in March and last week’s Vijay Kumar Memorial in Lucknow. The Kolkata golfer is now just one round away from completing a hat-trick of victories on the PGTI NexGen.

The 28-year-old Hemant Yadav (69-64), an employee of Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) and playing on his home course, matched Chowrasia’s newly established course record with a brilliant six-under 64. The Varanasi golfer climbed from tied sixth overnight to sole second at seven-under 133, narrowing the gap to just two shots heading into the final round.

Starting from the par-5 ninth in the shotgun format, Sunit Chowrasia made an early birdie before catching fire with four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the 14th through the 18th. Another gain on the par-4 fourth helped him sign for a new course record of six-under 64, also the joint-lowest round of the tournament, as he moved clear of overnight co-leaders Mukeem Ali of Mathura and Dipankar Kaushal of Noida.

“It feels great. Shooting six under is always satisfying, and I’m pleased with the way I played today. To be back at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round is a good position to be in,” said Chowrasia.

“A lot of the work I’ve been putting in, both on and off the course, is starting to pay off. The key now is not to change anything. I’ll stick to the same process and approach that has worked well for me over the last few weeks.”

Asked about the prospect of a third straight title, he said, “Of course, it would be special, but the focus is on tomorrow’s round. I’ll try to play my game, stay patient, and think about celebrating only after the job is done.”

Chowrasia credited his driving and putting for his strong showing. “My driving has been the biggest strength this week. I’ve been putting the ball in the right positions off the tee, which has made the course much easier to play. My putting has also been solid, especially from the 10 to 15-foot range, and that’s helped me convert chances at important moments.”

Varanasi-based professional Hemant Yadav, who started from the par-5 18th in the shotgun format, carded seven birdies against a lone bogey to surge into contention. Playing in his maiden season on the DP World PGTI after earning his card through Qualifying School in January, Hemant currently stands 12th on the NexGen Order of Merit, having already recorded four cuts and two top-10 finishes this season.

Reflecting on his round, Hemant said, “I felt I could have gone even lower because I missed a few makeable putts, but that’s part of the game. A six-under round is always satisfying and gives me confidence going into the final day.”

Looking ahead, he added, “The goal tomorrow is simple — continue doing the same things well, stay patient and stick to the game plan.”

Overnight co-leader Mukeem Ali of Mathura (67-68) stayed in the hunt after a two-under 68 moved him to five-under 135 and third place. Starting from the par-4 first, Mukeem raced out of the blocks with an eagle on his opening hole and added five birdies, but three bogeys and a double bogey prevented him from keeping pace with the leaders.

Delhi’s Pawan Verma (68-68) continued his consistent run with a second successive two-under 68 to occupy fourth place at four-under 136. Kolkata’s Souvik Nayak (69-69) was fifth at two-under 138 after a second straight round of one-under 69. Dipankar Kaushal (67-75), one of the three overnight leaders, slipped to tied ninth at two-over 142 after a difficult second-round 75.

The cut fell at six-over 146, with 36 of the 72 players advancing to the final round.

The winner of this year’s NexGen Order of Merit will earn an exemption on the main tour (DP World PGTI) for the 2027 season.

–IANS

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