Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Oct 21: India’s Aditya Bhandarkar took a two-shot lead with a total of four-under 140 after carding a three-under 69 in the second round of the final qualifying stage of the DP World PGTI Qualifying School 2026-27 at Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad.

Bhandarkar (71-69), who was tied sixth overnight, climbed five places on Wednesday after producing a round featuring five birdies and two bogeys.

Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman (69-73), the first-round leader, returned a two-over 73 to slip into a tie for second place alongside Indians Joysurjo Dey (73-69) and Vedant Sirohi (71-71). The trio stood at a total of two-under 142.

The halfway cut was set at 12-over 156. Of the 123 players in the field, the top 80, including 11 amateurs and eight foreign players, qualified for the next stage.

The 37-year-old Bhandarkar, who is based in Pune, finished second at the Pre-Qualifying event in Vooty last week. During Wednesday’s round, he struck his wedges close to the pin, converted a couple of tap-in birdies and sank two long birdie putts.

“I’m carrying forward the confidence and momentum from my good performance at the Pre-Qualifying event last week, where I shot rounds of two-under and four-under to finish second. Today, I was quite calm through the round, stayed in the moment and handled the hot conditions in the afternoon really well by staying hydrated,” Bhandarkar said.

At the end of the four-round qualifying event, the top 48 players will earn full playing cards for the 2026-27 DP World PGTI season.