Aberdeenshire, Scotland, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma ended a run of four consecutive missed cuts by advancing to the weekend rounds of the Nexo Championship, highlighted by a spectacular hole-in-one during his second round at Trump International Golf Links.
Sharma, who opened with a 73 on Thursday, carded an even-par 72 on Friday to finish the first 36 holes at one-over 145. He stood tied 22nd and comfortably made the cut.
The other Indian in the field, Yuvraj Sandhu, missed the cut after rounds of 75 and 79.
Starting his second round from the first tee, Sharma opened with a birdie before dropping a shot at the fifth. He then produced the highlight of his round at the par-three sixth, holing his tee shot for a sensational ace.
The 38-year-old subsequently added birdies at the 12th and 13th holes but gave back shots at the ninth, 11th, 15th and 16th before signing for a level-par 72.
The hole-in-one provided a welcome boost for Sharma after a difficult spell on the DP World Tour. The two-time DP World Tour winner will now have another 36 holes to build momentum and improve his position on the leaderboard.
England’s Matthew Southgate took a one-shot lead into the weekend after following his opening 70 with another two-under 70 to move to four-under for the tournament.
Southgate, who began the day three shots off the lead, negotiated the testing and windy conditions with a disciplined display. He birdied the 17th and dropped his only shot at the sixth before producing a chip-in eagle at the seventh to move into outright first.
Matthew Jordan, runner-up in Denmark last week, carded a three-under 69 to move to three-under and share second place with South Africa’s Shaun Norris, who also shot 69.
Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and overnight leader Marcus Kinhult were also tied for second at three-under.
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