Fort Worth [US], May 30 (ANI): Akshay Bhatia produced one of the standout rounds of the day to vault into contention at the Charles Schwab Challenge, firing a five-under-par 65 in the second round and moving into a share of sixth place heading into the weekend at Colonial Country Club.
The Indian-American left-hander climbed 26 places on the leader board with a composed and aggressive display that took him to eight-under-par for 36 holes, just two shots behind halfway leader Jordan Smith. With conditions expected to remain demanding over the weekend, Bhatia has firmly placed himself in the mix for what could become another significant PGA Tour title challenge, according to a release.
Sahith Theegala (67-70) was T-47 and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (71-70) missed the cut by one after a double bogey at the end.
After opening with a solid 70 on Thursday, Bhatia found another gear in the second round. Starting on the back nine, he picked up momentum early with a birdie at the 11th before adding further gains at the 13th and 16th to make the turn in three-under-par.
The 24-year-old continued his charge after the turn, birdieing the first, fourth and fifth holes to briefly move even closer to the lead. A bogey at his final hole, the ninth, denied him an even lower score, but the 65 still ranked among the best rounds of the day and significantly strengthened his position.
Reflecting on his performance, Bhatia, who is backed by Hero, said he was pleased with the way he handled adversity despite not finding as many fairways as he would have liked.
“I played nice. I think I did a great job with how I didn’t let anything bother me. I missed a good amount of fairways, but just took it as it was. All in all it was a really nice day,” said Bhatia.
He added that improved driving could unlock even more opportunities over the weekend.
“The more and more I can just see the ball in the fairway, the more chances I’ll have with my iron play and how I feel with the putter right now,” he said.
Bhatia also explained why Colonial remains one of the more demanding venues on the PGA Tour despite its relatively modest length.
“You have to be creative. You can hit some good tee shots and still end up behind trees, and the pins can get very tight in corners. It’s short and simple, but it always plays hard. That’s what makes great golf courses,” he said.
While Bhatia enjoyed a day of upward movement, fellow Indian-American Sahith Theegala experienced a quieter second round. After matching Bhatia’s opening-round 67, Theegala was unable to build momentum and carded an even-par 70.
His round featured three birdies and three bogeys, leaving him at three-under-par overall and tied for 47th place. Nevertheless, he comfortably made the cut, which fell at two-under-par, and will have the opportunity to improve his position over the final two rounds.
There was disappointment, however, for Canadian-based Indian golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju, whose impressive effort came up just short of extending his week.
Yellamaraju followed his opening 71 with a two-under-par 68 and appeared on course to make the cut for much of the afternoon. Beginning on the back nine, he mixed a birdie on the 14th with a bogey on the 18th before turning in even par.
His round came alive on the front side. After a bogey at the first, he responded brilliantly with three consecutive birdies on the second, third and fourth holes. Additional birdies on the 16th and 17th had moved him into a favourable position, but a costly double bogey on his final hole, the ninth, proved decisive.
The setback left him one stroke outside the cut line and resulted in only his second missed cut of the 2026 season. His only previous early exit this year came at The American Express in January.
At the top of the leaderboard, Jordan Smith continued his impressive run by carding a second straight 65 to reach 10-under-par and claim sole possession of first place.
The Englishman, who earned his PGA TOUR card through the DP World Tour pathway, began the day with an eagle at the first and a birdie at the second before adding three more birdies during the round. His lone blemish came at the 14th hole.
Smith held a one-shot advantage over a group at nine-under that included former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Michael Thorbjornsen, Ryan Gerard and 2023 Open champion Brian Harman.
With two rounds remaining and the leaderboard tightly packed, Bhatia finds himself well positioned to challenge for the title. Given his confidence on the greens and his growing comfort at Colonial, the young star heads into the weekend with both momentum and a realistic opportunity to make a serious run at the trophy. (ANI)
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