Ahlawat, Sharma make cut as Sandhu misses out in Kenya
Nairobi, February 22
Veer Ahlawat and Shubhankar Sharma made the halfway cut in the 2026 Kenya Open.
Ahlawat, who played the full season last year, shot 67-67 and was 6-under for two rounds to be well placed at T-28th. Sharma had to produce a super second with six birdies against one bogey for a 5-under 65 to squeeze into the cut line at 4-under after two days. He was T-55. Ahlawat, in his second round, had five birdies against two bogeys.
Yuvraj Sandhu, however, missed out on the cut with 69-71.
Frederic Lacroix shot a second-round 62 to share the halfway lead with Casey Jarvis. At 13 under par, the pair held a two-shot lead over the field as they attempted to wrestle the limelight from Kenya's Njoroge Kibugu, who delighted the home crowd by making the cut with an eagle at the last.
Jarvis' fellow South African Hennie Du Plessis fired a stunning 61, which would have been a course record had preferred lies not been in play at Karen Country Club, to share third place with Spain's Angel Ayora and Portugal's Ricardo Gouveia.
After finishing his opening 65 with an eagle to build momentum, Lacroix had four birdies before the turn and the same again afterwards for a brilliant 62.
Gouveia shot a bogey-free 65 while Ayora fired seven birdies to match that score. The Spaniard said: "I'm feeling very good, my putting is good, and from the tee I'm hitting very good.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Ahlawat's consistency is impressive - 67-67. He's playing solid golf. Shubhankar Sharma always brings that fighting spirit. It's good for Indian golf to have multiple players competing at this level internationally. Let's go boys!
The scores at the top are insane! 62 and 61? That's some next-level golf. Our boys are doing well, but the competition is fierce. Hennie Du Plessis shooting 61 is just wow. Hope our players can learn and push even harder.
Must have been amazing for the home crowd to see Kibugu make the cut with an eagle at the last! That's the magic of sport. Good experience for our Indian golfers playing in such an atmosphere.
Respectfully, while making the cut is an achievement, T-28 and T-55 means there's a lot of ground to cover. The leaders are 7-9 shots ahead. Our golfers need to work on converting more birdie opportunities to truly challenge for titles on the DP World Tour.
So proud of them! Golf doesn't get as much coverage in India as cricket, but these players are representing us so well on the global stage. Every cut made is a step forward. Chak de India! 🏌️♂️
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