Angad Cheema retains two-shot lead at Telangana Open

Angad Cheema retained his two-shot lead in the Telangana Open 2026, firing a seven-under 65. Rashid Khan matched the score to stay second, while Jairaj Singh Sandhu surged to third with a nine-under 63 at Vooty Golf County in Vikarabad

Hyderabad: Angad Cheema stayed on course for his fifth DP World PGTI title and sixth win overall after shooting a seven-under 65 to retain his two-shot lead following the third round of the Rs. 1 crore Telangana Open 2026 being played at Vooty Golf County, Vikarabad.

The 36-year-old Chandigarh lad Cheema (70-61-65), who began the day two shots ahead after producing a career-low 11-under 61 on Wednesday, moved to 20-under 196.

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Delhi’s Rashid Khan (66-67-65) matched Cheema’s 65 while playing alongside the leader to remain second at 18-under 198. Rashid kept the pressure on throughout the day with eight birdies against a solitary bogey on the par-four 17th.

Cheema’s eventful round featured an eagle on the par-five 16th, eight birdies and three bogeys. With Rashid repeatedly closing the gap, Cheema responded with enough birdies of his own to preserve the overnight advantage.

“It was definitely an up-and-down day, especially on the back nine, but overall I played really well,” said Cheema. “Rashid was making a lot of birdies, so it was important for me to keep pace with him, and I thought I did that very well.”

The leader made four birdies over the front-nine. He then added four more birdies and the crucial eagle on the 16th but also conceded three bogeys on the back-nine.

On the 16th, Cheema struck his second shot with a six-iron to about five feet before converting the eagle putt.

Jairaj Singh Sandhu (71-68-63) made the biggest move of the day, firing the tournament’s lowest third-round score of nine-under 63. He climbed 17 places from tied 20th to third at 14-under 202, six shots behind Cheema.

Delhi’s Honey Baisoya (72-65-66), currently seventh in the DP World PGTI Rankings, shared fourth place at 13-under 203 with Greater Noida’s Arjun Sharma (70-66-67).

First-round co-leader Akshay Sharma (65-70-69) of Chandigarh was tied sixth at 12-under 204 alongside Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat (68-68-68), the 2024 DP World PGTI Rankings champion.

Gurugram’s Manu Gandas (65-71-69), the other opening-round co-leader, shared eighth place at 11-under 205 with Nepal’s Subash Tamang (74-65-66), Uganda’s Joshua Seale (70-66-69) and Gurugram’s Dhruv Sheoran (68-67-70).

Cheema, a four-time winner on the DP World PGTI, has come close to adding another title twice this season. He finished tied second at the Boulders Classic in April and again at last week’s Kolar Open.