Akshay Sharma and Dhruv Sheoran Share Lead at DP World Players Championship After Brilliant Second Rounds in Nuh
Two Gurugram golfers stand atop the leaderboard at the DP World Players Championship, and they are doing so with the kind of golf that makes galleries sit up and take notice.
Akshay Sharma and Dhruv Sheoran share the 36-hole lead at nine-under par 135 after two rounds at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh, with a weekend of high-quality domestic professional golf firmly in prospect.
Akshay Sharma was the undisputed star of the second day, producing the finest round of the entire tournament so far a seven-under 65 that was as consistent as it was clinical. The two-time PGTI winner had entered the day in 14th place, six shots off the overnight leaders, and proceeded to dismantle that deficit with a round featuring nine birdies and just two bogeys. The quality of his ball-striking and scoring was sustained across all 18 holes, and a closing birdie on the final hole the kind of finishing touch that defines champion mindsets sealed his move to the very top of the leaderboard. Rounds of 70 and 65 for a 135 total is an impressive two-day aggregate on any PGTI layout, and Akshay arrives at the weekend as the co-leader with considerable momentum behind him.
Dhruv Sheoran has been equally compelling, if slightly more varied in his approach. The 2024 PGTI tour winner carded a six-under 66 in his second round a card that featured a highlight-reel eagle on the par-5 14th hole alongside six birdies and two bogeys. Rounds of 69 and 66 give him the same nine-under total as Akshay, and the fact that both leaders hail from Gurugram adds a compelling local dimension to what is already shaping up as a fascinating final stretch of the championship.
One shot behind the joint leaders, a three-way battle for third place is also developing with real intrigue. Japan's Taiga Tanaka has been a model of consistency, posting back-to-back rounds of 68 for an eight-under 136 total that keeps him very much in contention. Alongside him are Sunit Chowrasia and Nepal's Sukra Bahadur Rai, both of whom fired six-under 66s in the second round to surge up the leaderboard and announce their presence in the weekend's conversation. Chowrasia, one of Indian domestic golf's most recognisable names, will be particularly dangerous as the tournament enters its business end a player of his experience knows exactly how to manage a leaderboard chase.
The overnight leaders Harman Sachdeva and Jamal Hossain found the second day considerably more challenging after their impressive opening 67s. Both carded 70s to slip to seven-under 137, joining a seven-way tie for sixth place. They are joined by Mani Ram, Rohit Narwal, former Asian Tour winners Himmat Singh Rai and Viraj Madappa whose second-round 66 will have reignited his own title ambitions and S. Manoj. The presence of Madappa and Himmat Singh Rai, both of whom have won at the highest level on the Asian Tour, ensures that the chasing pack carries genuine quality and experience.
With one shot separating the leaders from three players in third, and only two shots back to a seven-strong group in sixth, the Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh is set for a compelling final two rounds. Akshay Sharma has the best current form, Dhruv Sheoran has the experience of winning on tour, and the chasing pack has the names and the intent to make this a contest that goes deep into the weekend. Indian domestic golf rarely looks more alive than when the leaderboard is this tightly packed and right now, it looks very alive indeed.
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