Telangana Open: Cheema shoots career-low 61 to take 2-shot lead

Angad Cheema produced a career-low, bogey-free 11-under 61 to grab a two-shot lead at the Telangana Open 2026. Cheema sits at 13-under 131, ahead of Rashid Khan in second place at 11-under 133 after the second round of the tournament.

Angad Cheema produced a career-low, bogey-free 11-under 61 to take a 2-shot lead at 13-under 131 after the second round of the Telangana Open 2026, being played at the Vooty Golf County. Chandigarh-based Cheema (70-61) delivered a remarkable round with preferred lies in effect following rain at the venue, according to a press release.

Cheema on Fire with Career-Low 61

Cheema opened with a birdie on the first and then made five in succession from the third through the seventh to race to six-under through seven holes. After four consecutive pars, he chipped in for eagle on the par-five 12th to regain momentum before adding three more birdies.

Delhi's Rashid Khan (66-67), who began the day tied third and one shot behind overnight co-leaders Manu Gandas and Akshay Sharma, returned a five-under 67 to move into second place at 11-under 133.

Cheema, a four-time winner on the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) who finished runner-up at last week's Kolar Open, was delighted to improve on his previous best score of 10-under. Cheema said his 11-under round was the lowest score of his career and described it as an exceptional performance, adding that after going six-under through seven holes, he felt an even lower score was possible.

"An 11-under round is definitely the lowest score I have ever shot. I'm not sure which performance I would rate higher, but today was an exceptional round. I was six-under through seven holes, so at that stage I felt an even lower score might be possible," said Cheema.

The four consecutive pars from the eighth through the 11th briefly slowed his charge, but the chip-in eagle on the 12th provided the spark for another scoring run. "The chip-in gave the round fresh momentum and got me going again on the back nine. I struck the ball extremely well, holed a lot of putts and missed only one fairway all day," he said.

Cheema believes accuracy from the tee will remain crucial over the weekend, with thick rough and wind presenting the main challenges. "The rough is very punishing, but the greens are receptive," he said. "If you find the fairway, you have a good chance to attack the pins. There are also several holes where you need to play smart."

Rashid Khan in Pursuit

Rashid's eventful round featured eagles on the par-four third and par-five fifth. He converted from about 20 feet on the third before striking a three-wood to eight feet and holing the putt on the fifth.

"Those two eagles gave the round a lot of momentum. On the third, I hit my approach to about 20 feet and made the putt. On the fifth, I hit a three-wood to around eight feet and converted that as well," he said.

Despite the two eagles, Rashid felt his score could have been lower after missing several chances and three-putting the sixth and ninth. He later birdied the 12th, 15th and 16th, with his longest birdie conversion coming from around 12 feet on the 15th, before dropping a shot on the 17th. "I missed quite a few putts, so the score could have been even better. But my game is improving with each round. I'm not trying to force anything. I'm responding to the situation, playing the shot that is required and keeping things straightforward," he said.

Rounding out the Leaderboard

Hyderabad's 19-year-old Vishesh Sharma (66-68), who recently returned to competition following a two-week illness, occupied third place at 10-under 134. His four-under 68 included an eagle on the par-five third, four birdies and two bogeys.

Overnight co-leader Akshay Sharma (65-70) of Chandigarh shared fourth place at nine-under 135 with Gurugram's Dhruv Sheoran (68-67) and Sri Lanka's Mithun Perera (70-65). Perera, who returned from retirement to compete again this season, produced a bogey-free 65 featuring seven birdies.

The other first-round co-leader, Manu Gandas (65-71), slipped into a five-way tie for seventh at eight-under 136. Current PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (72-68) was tied 23rd at four-under 140.

The cut fell at one-under 143, with 50 players from the field of 131 advancing to the final two rounds. (ANI)

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