Ahmedabad, 21 October 2026: Aditya Bhandarkar shot a three-under 69 on Wednesday to take a two-shot lead after the second round of the Final Qualifying Stage of the DP World PGTI Qualifying School 2026-27 at the Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad.
The 37-year-old from Pune was tied sixth overnight. His round of five birdies and two bogeys lifted him five places to four-under 140 (71-69).
Siddikur slips into a three-way tie
First-round leader Md Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh had a 73 and dropped into a tie for second at two-under 142. He shares the spot with two Indians, Joysurjo Dey (73-69) and Vedant Sirohi (71-71).
Wedges close, putts dropping
Bhandarkar finished second at the Pre-Qualifying event at Vooty last week. On Wednesday he hit his wedges close for a couple of tap-in birdies and also holed two long putts for birdie.
“I’m carrying forward the confidence and momentum from my good performance at the Pre-Qualifying event last week where I shot rounds of two-under and four-under to finish second,” Bhandarkar said. “Today, I was quite calm through the round, stayed in the moment and handled the hot conditions in the afternoon really well by staying hydrated.”
Eighty players make the cut
The halfway cut fell at 12-over 156. Of the 123 starters, 80 players made it through to the weekend, among them 11 amateurs and eight overseas golfers.
After the fourth round, the top 48 players will earn full cards for the 2026-27 DP World PGTI season.
Siddikur had led after a 69 on the opening day, when four Indians sat one shot behind him.
