Phillaur (Punjab), March 4 : Sukhraj Singh Gill and Rajesh Kumar Gautam held the joint lead at a total of five-under 137 after round two of the DP World PGTI NexGen Phillaur Open 2026, which will be played at the Ranjitgarh Golf Club in Phillaur, Punjab.

Sukhraj (70-67) and Rajesh (70-67), who were both overnight tied ninth, followed up their first-round scores of one-under 70 with scores of four-under 67 in round two, to move into the joint lead.

Aditya Raj Singh Chahal, Pankaj Maandiya, Shaurya Sharma, and Md Muaj were all placed tied third at a total of four-under 138. The cut went at three-over 145. The top 42 professionals made the cut for the third and final round.

Teenager Sukhraj Singh Gill, who hails from Canada, made an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys during Round Two, while Lucknow-based Rajesh Kumar Gautam, a winner on the NexGen last year, made an eagle, three birdies and a bogey on Wednesday.

Rajesh Kumar Gautam said, â??My hitting was exceptional today. I landed three shots within three feet of the pin that all produced birdies. I also holed an eagle from the bunker on the 10th. However, the focus in the final round will be on my putting as I missed a lot of putts today, especially on the front nine. I donâ??t want to repeat that come the last round.â??

Phillaur-based professional Swatanter Kumar made the cut as he totalled three-over 145 after two rounds.

The 2026 NexGen season will continue with the next three events to be played at Lucknow Golf Club (March 10â??12), Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurugram (March 17â??19), and Patna Golf Club (March 24â??26).

The NexGen Tour was launched by the PGTI last year to provide equal playing opportunities to all professional golfers of India and to increase the bench strength in Indian golf, which in turn increases competition and the level of golf. The NexGen also aims to take professional golf to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India, thus expanding the reach of the sport within the country.

/IANS