Nuh, March 20
MJ Daffue and Rashid Khan share a two-stroke lead following the second day of the DP World PGTI Open. Khan from India, who still has three holes of his second round to play, pulled level with South African Daffue at 13 under par, who had earlier carded a course record 11-under 61 at Classic Golf and Country Club.
Daffue, who is chasing a second victory on the 2026 Road to Mallorca after his win at the NTT Data Pro-Am last month, started on the tenth and made gains on four of his first six holes before adding four consecutive birdies around the turn. The 37-year-old would pick up three more shots coming in and was delighted with his bogey-free effort to once again set the pace at the top of the leaderboard.
"Overall, it was a very easy 61. I hit it great, putted well, and didn't miss any," he said. "Days like this don't come around very often, but the game has been trending, and I've been putting some hard work in.
"Down the stretch, I was thinking about having a chance on the last for that magical number, but overall, I needed to stick to my game and not get in my own way. It's so easy to think too far ahead and to try to do certain things when you should just let it come to you.
"Obviously, winning at Fancourt was amazing, and I feel like I want to be in these positions because I know I can get it done. I want to contend every week, and chasing a second win is nice."
Khan, also starting on the tenth, found his feet early in his round with three birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes to move to 11 under par. The 35-year-old would then add two more birdies to his scorecard to pull level with Daffue before play was suspended due to darkness.
"I started really well," he said. "I made a birdie on my second hole, the par three eleventh, and that's not an easy hole to score two on, so I was pleased. The 13th, I had 135 yards to the flag and slam-dunked for an eagle, and that's where things really picked up for me; it gave me a lot of confidence. I hit a few good putts around the turn, so it has been a really good day."
"I want to approach tomorrow the same way. I want to keep things simple; I have three holes left of my second round, tomorrow, and we will see how the next two rounds go."
Sweden's Adam Wallin and Spaniard Albert Boneta share third place on 11 under par and will return alongside Khan to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning.
- IANS
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