Phillaur (Punjab), March 4 – Sukhraj Singh Gill and Rajesh Kumar Gautam held the joint lead after the second round of the DP World PGTI NexGen Phillaur Open 2026, which will be played at the Ranjitgarh Golf Club in Phillaur, Punjab, with a total score of five-under 137.
Sukhraj (70-67) and Rajesh (70-67), who were tied for ninth overnight, followed up their first-round scores of one-under 70 with scores of four-under 67 in the second round, to move into a joint lead.
Aditya Raj Singh Chahal, Pankaj Maandiya, Shaurya Sharma, and Md Muaj were all tied for third with a total score of four-under 138. The cut was at three-over 145. The top 42 professionals made the cut for the third and final round.
Teenager Sukhraj Singh Gill, from Canada, made an eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys in the second round, while Rajesh Kumar Gautam, a winner on the NexGen last year, from Lucknow, made an eagle, three birdies, and a bogey on Wednesday.
Rajesh Kumar Gautam said, "My hitting was exceptional today. I landed three shots within three feet of the pin, all of which resulted in 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 don't want to repeat that in the final round."
Phillaur-based professional Swatanter Kumar made the cut after a total score of 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 10–12), Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurugram (March 17–19), and Patna Golf Club (March 24–26).
The NexGen Tour was launched by the PGTI last year to provide equal playing opportunities to all professional golfers in India and to increase the pool of talent in Indian golf, which in turn increases competition and the level of golf. The NexGen also aims to bring professional golf to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India, thus expanding the reach of the sport within the country.
