Raipur
Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata carded a course-record six-under 64 to take a two-shot lead at nine-under 131 after the second round of the inaugural ₹25 lakh DP World PGTI NexGen Varanasi tournament at the BLW Greens Golf Course on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Chowrasia, who currently leads the NexGen Order of Merit, entered the tournament following consecutive victories at the Alpha Sports Academy Golf Championship in Patna this March and the Vijay Kumar Memorial in Lucknow last week. He is now one round away from securing a hat-trick of titles on the tour.
Local player matches record
Local golfer Hemant Yadav, an employee of Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) playing on his home course, matched Chowrasia’s newly set course record with a six-under 64. The 28-year-old climbed from overnight tied-sixth to sole second place at seven-under 133, reducing the deficit to two shots heading into the final round.
Starting from the par-five ninth hole in the shotgun format, Chowrasia hit an early birdie and picked up four more birdies in a five-hole stretch from the 14th to the 18th. A further gain on the par-four fourth hole helped him secure the joint-lowest round of the tournament, pulling him clear of overnight co-leaders Mukeem Ali of Mathura and Dipankar Kaushal of Noida.
Chowrasia credited his driving and putting for the performance, noting that accuracy off the tee made the course easier to navigate. He stated that he intends to stick to his established routine for the final round rather than focusing ahead on the potential hat-trick.
Leaderboard standings
Yadav started his round from the par-five 18th hole, carding seven birdies against a single bogey to enter contention. Playing his debut season after qualifying in January, Yadav lies 12th on the NexGen Order of Merit with two top-10 finishes this season.
Overnight co-leader Mukeem Ali stayed in contention at third place with a two-under 68, bringing his total to five-under 135. His round included an eagle on the opening hole and five birdies, but three bogeys and a double bogey limited his progress.
Delhi’s Pawan Verma occupied fourth place at four-under 136 following a second successive two-under 68. Kolkata’s Souvik Nayak followed in fifth place at two-under 138 after a round of 69.
Dipankar Kaushal dropped to tied-ninth at two-over 142 after a second-round 75. The halfway cut was established at six-over 146, with 36 players advancing to the final round.
The NexGen Tour, launched by the DP World PGTI in 2025, serves as a development circuit to provide playing opportunities to professional golfers and expand the sport’s reach in Tier-2 and Tier-3 Indian cities. The winner of this year’s Order of Merit will earn a direct exemption for the main tour in the 2027 season.
