Angad Cheema shoots career-low 61 to lead Telangana Open 2026

Angad Cheema fired a career-low, bogey-free 11-under 61 to take a two-shot lead at 13-under 131 after the second round of the Telangana Open 2026. Rashid Khan was second, while Hyderabad’s Vishesh Sharma held third place

Hyderabad: Angad Cheema produced a career-low, bogey-free 11-under 61 to take a two-shot lead at 13-under 131 after the second round of the Rs 1 crore Telangana Open 2026 being played at Vooty Golf County.

Chandigarh-based Cheema (70-61) delivered a remarkable round with preferred lies in effect following rain at the venue.

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Cheema opened with a birdie on the first and then made five in succession from the third through the seventh to race to six-under through seven holes. After four consecutive pars, he chipped in for an eagle on the par-five 12th to regain momentum before adding three more birdies.

Delhi’s Rashid Khan (66-67), who began the day tied third and one shot behind overnight co-leaders Manu Gandas and Akshay Sharma, returned a five-under 67 to move into second place at 11-under 133.

Cheema, a four-time winner on the DP World PGTI who finished runner-up at last week’s Kolar Open, was delighted to improve on his previous best score of 10-under.

“An 11-under round is definitely the lowest score I have ever shot,” said Cheema. “I’m not sure which performance I would rate higher, but today was an exceptional round. I was six-under through seven holes, so at that stage I felt an even lower score might be possible.”

The four consecutive pars from the eighth through the 11th briefly slowed his charge, but the chip-in eagle on the 12th provided the spark for another scoring run.

Hyderabad’s 19-year-old Vishesh Sharma (66-68), who recently returned to competition following a two-week illness, occupied third place at 10-under 134. His four-under 68 included an eagle on the par-five third, four birdies and two bogeys.

Overnight co-leader Akshay Sharma (65-70) of Chandigarh shared fourth place at nine-under 135 with Gurugram’s Dhruv Sheoran (68-67) and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera (70-65).

Perera, who returned from retirement to compete again this season, produced a bogey-free 65 featuring seven birdies.

The other first-round co-leader, Manu Gandas (65-71), slipped into a five-way tie for seventh at eight-under 136.

Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (72-68) was tied 23rd at four-under 140.

The cut fell at one-under 143, with 50 players from the field of 131 advancing to the final two rounds.