Shubhankar Sharma cards 69 to stay tied 19th after Round 2 of Saudi International

Another Indian Shiv Kapur shot a one-over 71 to remain in joint 39th place with overall tally of two-under 138 at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah.

Shubhankar Sharma carded a one-under 69 in challenging conditions to lie tied 19th along with 10 others after the second round of the $5 million Saudi International, in Jeddah, on Friday. (File photo: Asian Tour)
Key Highlights
  • Ancer added a four-under 66 to his opening 63 to keep his lead at the halfway mark and is one better than American Cameron Young, who shot 65
  • 10-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar shot a consecutive three-over 73 to end his campaign in Jeddah with an overall six-over 146
  • Australian Marc Leishman (64), Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana (66) and Louis Oosthuizen (67) from South Africa are tied for third place

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma carded a one-under 69 in challenging conditions to lie tied 19th along with 10 others after the second round of the $5 million Saudi International on Friday. Starting on the 10th tee, Sharma began his round with a birdie and followed it up with birdies on the first and fifth holes. However, bogeys on the 14th and third holes ruined his effort. Still, the 26-year-old managed to trail overnight leader Abraham Ancer of Mexico by seven strokes.

Another Indian Shiv Kapur shot a one-over 71 to remain in joint 39th place with overall tally of two-under 138. LIV Golf player Anirban Lahiri and Delhi pro Rashid Khan carded one-under 69s to share 57th place and scrape through to the weekend rounds. However, 10-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar shot a consecutive three-over 73 to end his campaign in Jeddah with an overall six-over 146. His compatriots Veer Ahlawat and Ajeetesh Sandhu also missed the cut.

Ancer added a four-under 66 to his opening 63 to keep his lead at the halfway mark. His tournament total of 11-under 129 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, in Jeddah, is one better than American Cameron Young, who shot 65. Australian Marc Leishman (64), Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana (66) and Louis Oosthuizen (67) from South Africa are tied for third, three behind the leader, in the star-studded season-opening event on the Asian Tour.

Thailand’s amateur sensation Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat carded a 66 and is a stroke further behind with Australian Lucas Herbert, who came in with a 65. Ancer, aged 31, looks to be in complete control of his game and full of confidence ahead of the weekend. He shot five birdies and made a bogey on the 17th – his only dropped shot in two days.

“I’m very pleased the way I’ve been rolling it and hitting it off the tee. Also, my iron play has been pretty good, so I’m happy with my game. Having that bogey on 17 from a very scorable spot kind of burns a little bit and dropping the first shot of the tournament, but extremely happy with my play and the way my body feels, the way my swing feels. Yeah, extremely happy,” Ancer said in an Asian Tour media release.

Windy conditions for much of the day made low scoring a challenge but the Mexican, whose biggest win to date is the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2021, has been able to comfortably master the conditions to this point.

He said: “You’ve just got to trust your starting lines out here, and I feel like the wind really moves the ball here, so you’ve got to trust it. You’ve got to trust that you’re going to be aiming pretty far away from the pin, and you’ve just got to hit a good shot at one little spot, pick your target and just flush one right at that.”

Defending champion Harold Varner III from the United States made a strong move carding a 66 and is six back from Ancer. Malaysian rookie Ervin Chang, the recent recipient of the Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Programme Award, bravely birdied his final hole to finish right on the cut line, made at even par.

Leading Scores (Round 2)

129 – Abraham Ancer (MEX) 63-66

130 – Cameron Young (USA) 65-65

132 – Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA) 66-66, Marc Leishman (AUS) 68-64, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 65-67

133 – Lucas Herbert (AUS) 68-65, Ratchanon Chantananuwat (am, THA) 67-66

134 – Jason Kokrak (USA) 67-67, Ian Snyman (RSA) 66-68, Richard Bland (ENG) 67-67

135 – Harold Varner III (USA) 69-66, Patrick Reed (USA) 67-68, Paul Casey (ENG) 68-67, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 71-64, Taylor Dickson (USA) 69-66, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 65-70, Scott Vincent (ZIM) 66-69, Hennie Du Plessis (RSA) 67-68

136 – Andrew Dodt (AUS) 68-68, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 69-67, Sanghyun Park (KOR) 70-66, Ding Wenyi (am, CHN) 70-66, Stefano Mazzoli (ITA) 70-66, Cameron Champ (USA) 69-67, Brooks Koepka (USA) 69-67, Talor Gooch (USA) 70-66, Shubhankar Sharma (IND) 67-69, Matt Jones (AUS) 68-68, Bjorn Hellgren (SWE) 68-68.