Yuvraj Sandhu continued his impressive run on the DP World Tour, carding a steady 1-under 71 to remain inside the top 10 at the halfway stage of the Turkish Airlines Open.

Playing his debut season on tour, Sandhu mixed four birdies—on the 4th, 8th, 11th and 14th—with three bogeys to stay under par and firmly in contention heading into the weekend.

Shubhankar Sharma also made the cut, though it came the hard way. A late collapse saw him drop five shots in a five-hole stretch from the 13th to the 17th, including three bogeys and a double, resulting in a 3-over 75. He slipped to 1-over overall, tied 57th, just making the cut as it fell at that mark.

Earlier in his round, Sharma had been comfortably placed, picking up four birdies against two bogeys before the late stumble.

At the top, Italy’s Gregorio De Leo will take a one-shot lead into the weekend after a 4-under 68 moved him to 7-under at the National Golf Club.

“I kept things simple and stayed patient,” De Leo said after securing his first 36-hole lead on the DP World Tour.

Alejandro Del Rey, Jens Dantorp, Kazuma Kobori and Sam Bairstow are tied second at 6-under, while first-round leader Mikael Lindberg slipped to solo sixth at 5-under following a 73.

Defending champion Martin Couvra was among those who made the cut on the number at 1-over.

What it means: Sandhu continues to impress in his rookie season, while Sharma survives a late scare to keep his weekend hopes alive.

What’s next: With the leaderboard tightly packed, moving day will be crucial for Sandhu to convert his strong start into a serious contention run.

Photo – Asian Tour