Gurugram, March 27 Eugenio Chacarra, who won the Hero Indian Open in 2025, becoming the first Spaniard to do so, is now on track to become the first player to win back-to-back titles since SSP Chawrasia in 2017.
Chacarra, who opened the week with a 5-under 67, began the second round on the tenth tee but had two bogeys in his first five holes on Friday. He recovered with an eagle on the 18th. A bogey on the third was overcome with four birdies in the last six holes for a 69 and a lead of 8-under at the halfway point.
Casey Jarvis of South Africa, who was one stroke behind Chacarra, admitted that he was in a good position to contend for a third DP World Tour title this season. Jarvis had two wins and a second-place finish in his last three starts.
Only two Indians, Om Prakash Chouhan and teenager S Manoj, were assured of weekend play. Chouhan, who won a Hotel Planner event in 2023 and played in the DP World Tour in 2024, carded 71 after his first round 73, putting him level par for 36 holes, and was tied 22nd.
He had a remarkable run of five birdies in six holes between the ninth and 14th. Overall, he had five birdies against four bogeys.
Manoj, who is yet to secure a professional win, bounced back from a first-round 76 with a brilliant 2-under 70, putting him at 2-over, and was tied 41st.
On Friday, play was stopped in the morning due to the threat of lightning. This meant that about 10 groups were still to finish. Among them was Akshay Bhatia, who seemed to have a resurgence after his first round 77.
MJ Daffue, the winner of last week's DP World PGTI Open on the Hotel Planner Tour in India, was third at 7-under, having improved by nine strokes from his first round 73 with a second-round 64.
Freddy Schott (66-73) was also 5-under, alongside Jacob Skov Olesen and Alex Fitzpatrick, who still had four more holes to play.
Bhatia started with a bogey, but then went on a birdie run with five in the next eight holes. He was 4-under after the first nine holes, but again bogeyed the 10th and double bogeyed the 14th, dropping him to the cut line.
When play was stopped, Bhatia, the Hero brand ambassador, was 1-under for the day and 4-over for the tournament, with two more holes to play.
The cut line was 4-over, and Bhatia was precariously placed on it.
Among the Indians who missed the cut by one shot were Kartik Singh (73-76), Dhruv Sheoran (75-74) and Khalin Joshi (77-72). Shubhankar Sharma, Veer Ahlawat, Yuvraj Sandhu and Rayhan Thomas were also among the other big names who missed out on weekend play.
Chacarra can join an elite club that currently has only three members. Only three players have successfully defended the Indian Open title, and they are Japan's Kenji Hosoishi (1967 and 1968), Jyoti Randhawa (2006 and 2007) and Chawrasia (2016-2017).
Chacarra won the 2025 Indian Open in his debut.
Chacarra said, "Every time I tee off, I want to win. That's what I've been aiming for since I was young, and that's the goal. I think I've trained hard. I have a great team around me. We didn't have the best start to the season, but I think we've been working really hard, and that's showing. So, obviously, it will be great to win again."
"I think the good vibes were there when I got here, the good memories came up, and when I'm having fun playing golf, I've already proven that I'm one of the best players in the world."
"It's been a great two days, a great group, obviously. Casey (Jarvis) and Francesco (Molinari) are great guys and tremendous players. Casey showed us all how to score and how to play golf, and it was fun to watch."
Just over a month ago, Jarvis won his first title on Tour in Kenya, and then added a victory in his national Open, which earned him a spot in the Masters Tournament. He also finished second in the Joburg Open. Then he took a two-week break.
Following on from his two wins and a second-place finish in his last three starts, Jarvis said, "I mean, I don't think I'm at any disadvantage compared to anyone else out here. They're all so good. But I think I'm just riding on confidence at the moment. I think my game is in good shape, and I'm playing really well."
"And looking at the DLF Country Club, it's one of the toughest courses you'll find all year, and I'm looking forward to Augusta National, which is similar."
On his return to action, the 22-year-old opened with a 73 on Thursday, but he made nine birdies in an impressive 64 in the second round, putting him one stroke behind the leader, Chacarra.
Jarvis views the Gary Player-designed course as "perfect preparation" for his upcoming Major Championship appearance at Augusta National.
"The greens are very slopey, and I know Augusta is also very slopey," added the world number 69.
"They're extremely fast, and I'm sure it'll be just as fast there. So, I think it's the perfect preparation, and it's a special place to be."