Sahith Theegala and Aaron Rai slipped slightly to tied 15th after round two of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, carding a 2-under round in the alternate-shot format to move to 12-under overall.
The pair dropped two places from their overnight tied 13th position but remain within striking distance heading into the weekend in the PGA Tour’s only team event.
Another pairing of Indian interest, Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Ryan Gerard, made a strong move up the leaderboard. Their 3-under round lifted them from tied 42nd to tied 26th at 10-under.
At the top, brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick surged into contention with a 7-under 65 in alternate-shot play, moving to within one shot of leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer.
Smalley and Springer, who had opened with a record-equalling 58, followed it up with a 70 to reach 16-under 128 and hold a narrow lead.
Matt Fitzpatrick, fresh off his RBC Heritage win, highlighted the round with a chip-in birdie on the 18th, while Alex converted four of their six birdies, including a long-range effort from beyond 17 feet.
Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat were also tied for second after a 70, as a tightly packed leaderboard saw nine teams within two shots of the lead.
Among notable exits, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka missed the cut by one shot after bogeys on two par-3s proved costly.
What it means: Theegala and Rai remain in the mix but will need a low round to push into contention.
What’s next: The format switches back to four-ball on Saturday before the final-round alternate-shot test.
Photo – PGAT
