Shubhankar Sharma negotiated repeated rain delays to post rounds of 69 and 71, reaching the halfway stage four strokes behind leader Marco Penge at The Belfry.

Shubhankar Sharma remained firmly in contention at the Husqvarna British Masters after reaching the halfway stage tied for 13th at The Belfry Hotel & Resort.

Sharma handled the difficult weather and multiple disruptions with rounds of 69 and 71, moving to 4-under and comfortably securing his place in the final two rounds.

The Indian opened with four birdies and two bogeys across his first nine holes before adding another birdie on the back nine. Beginning his second round from the 10th, Sharma gained shots at the 15th and 17th before making another birdie at the fourth.

Bogeys at the third and eighth limited his progress, but his 1-under 71 kept him inside the top 15. The fourth and 17th proved particularly productive, with Sharma making birdie at both holes in each of his opening two rounds.

Yuvraj Sandhu, the other Indian in the field, missed the cut after rounds of 71 and 77.

England’s Marco Penge emerged from a demanding 32-hole day with a two-stroke lead. After completing an opening 69, the 28-year-old surged ahead with a second-round 65.

Starting from the 10th, Penge drove the 302-yard hole and converted an 11-foot eagle putt. Although he dropped a shot at the 13th, birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th restored his momentum and helped him establish a clear advantage heading into the weekend.

Defending champion Daniel Hillier led the chasing group at 6-under, with South Africa’s Shaun Norris and England’s Matthew Jordan also among the nearest challengers.

At 4-under, Sharma will begin the third round four shots behind Penge and with an opportunity to push further up a congested leaderboard.

Photo – DPWT