Indian Open 2026: Defending champ Eugenio Chacarra takes lead

Defending champ Eugenio Chacarra of Spain leads the Indian Open 2026 at eight-under 136. South Africans Casey Jarvis and MJ Daffue are in second and third. Om Prakash Chouhan is the best-placed Indian, ending the day at tied 23rd.

Chacarra takes clubhouse lead

Defending champ Eugenio Chacarra of Spain signed for a three-under 69 to move into the clubhouse lead at a total of eight-under 136 in round two of the USD 2.55 million Indian Open 2026. South Africans Casey Jarvis and MJ Daffue, winners of the HotelPlanner Tour event in India last week, were placed second and third at seven-under 137 and six-under 138, respectively, according to a press release.

Chouhan best-placed Indian, teenager Manoj impresses

Former PGTI Order of Merit champion Om Prakash Chouhan (73-71), who hails from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, ended the day as the best-placed Indian after a brilliant late flurry during his second round of one-under 71. Chouhan, a winner on the HotelPlanner Tour three years back, gained 18 spots on day two to be placed tied 23rd at a total of even-par 144.

Bengaluru-based 18-year-old Manoj S (76-70), making his debut at the Indian Open and playing only his second season as a professional, impressed with a grand comeback through his score of 70 in round two to be the next highest-placed Indian in tied 41st position at two-over 146. Manoj gained 46 spots on day two.

Play suspended due to weather, fading light

Earlier in the day, there was a one hour 20 minutes stoppage in play due to lightning. As a result, 30 players were yet to complete round two when play was suspended due to fading light at 6:37 pm local time on Friday. The Indian trio consisting of 16-year-old tournament debutant Kartik Singh (73-76), Dhruv Sheoran (75-74) and Khalin Joshi (77-72), were all in tied 68th place at a total of five-over 149, just one stroke outside the projected cut of four-over.

Player Reactions

'Returned to my natural attacking style': Om Prakash Chouhan

Thirty-nine-year-old Om Prakash Chouhan, a winner of 12 titles including one last month on the PGTI, conceded three bogeys over the first six holes on Friday but came roaring back with five birdies between the ninth and 14th holes. He bogeyed the closing 18th but was still the best-placed Indian at the end of day two. "My tee shots and approach shots have been excellent so far this week. I've hardly missed a fairway in the first two rounds. Today I excelled with the sand wedge, which set up a few short birdie putts for me. The only issue has been the inconsistency with my putting. I sank a couple of long putts today, but also made three three-putts. I started the round with a conservative mindset today, but after the initial bogeys, I decided to return to my natural attacking style, which helped me gain a lot of ground and rise up the leaderboard. I used all my experience of playing on the DP World Tour in 2024 to my benefit today," Om Prakash Chouhan said, according to the release.

'Ball-striking has been the key': Manoj S

Manoj S dropped two bogeys and sank a birdie on the back-nine but made amends with four birdies on the front-nine. He managed to limit the damage on the closing ninth, where he found the water with a hard-earned bogey. Manoj said, "My ball-striking has been the key in the second round as I made most fairways and greens. I planned my round well. I didn't make a single birdie yesterday, so I'm proud of the way I fought back today. I also didn't let the two bogeys on the back-nine bother me too much and came back well thereafter. It's a great feeling to make my Indian Open debut this week. The plan is to give my best and just have fun. The competition on the DP World PGTI has helped me grow as a player and perform well here."

Other Indian players and the cut

Among the prominent Indian names, Rayhan Thomas and Veer Ahlawat are both tied 75th at six-over 150. Meanwhile, Shubhankar Sharma, placed a further shot back in tied 86th, and Yuvraj Sandhu, placed tied 128th, will miss the cut, the release said. (ANI)

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