Houston (USA), March 28 (IANS) Sahith Theegala continued his consistent form at the Houston Open PGA Tour event, carding a second straight round of 3-under 67 to remain tied for 11th place at 6-under par after two rounds in Houston, Texas, on Friday night.
Fellow Indian-origin golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju also made significant progress, climbing to tied 20th at 5-under following rounds of 69 and 66.
At the top of the leaderboard, former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland surged into the lead with a superb 7-under 63 in the second round, bringing his total to 12-under par. Woodland’s round featured eight birdies—on the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, 17th, and 18th holes—offset by just a single bogey on the 13th.
A four-time PGA TOUR winner, Woodland has made a remarkable comeback after undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion in September 2023. He returned to action at the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii and had finished tied second at this event last year.
Overnight leader Paul Waring slipped down the standings after a 1-over 71, joining Theegala in a tie for 11th. Theegala began his second round on the front nine, making back-to-back birdies on the 5th and 6th holes before dropping his only shot of the day with a bogey on the 8th. He regained momentum on the back nine with birdies on the 13th and 16th, finishing with a solid 67.
Yellamaraju, meanwhile, bounced back from a slow start to the tournament with an impressive bogey-free 4-under 66. His round included birdies on the 3rd, 8th, 10th, and 14th holes. The 24-year-old came into the week ranked just inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard produced the standout round of the tournament so far, firing an 8-under 62 to move into a tie for second at 10-under par, three shots behind Woodland. His round featured seven birdies, one eagle, and one bogey.
Jackson Suber is also tied for second at 10-under after a flawless 7-under 63, highlighted by seven birdies without a single bogey.
--IANS
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