20 September 2019: On an eventful day at the Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, Shubhankar Sharma underlined his class with a sensational 67 to climb 34 spots and reach the weekend at 6-under 138. Danny Willett produced the round of the day, blazing the course with a 65, taking a share of the lead with Jon Rahm. At 11-under through 36 holes, the two men enjoy a two-stroke advantage over Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
Shubhankar was coming off a 71, a strained effort to one-under despite conceding four strokes on the fourth and fifth holes. But there were no such hiccups on Friday.
The 23-year-old Indian produced a masterfully crafted round of golf containing three birdies on the forward stretch and two more on the way home. He needed just 32 strokes going out, before getting in with a 35 on the card for the back nine.
With his 67 in the second round, Shubhankar has helped himself to T8 behind Billy Horschel and Paul Casey.
Rahm, already a three-time Rolex Series champion, continued to showcase his enormous talent and appetite for the big stage. He shot an eagle on the 18th for a 67 and a share of the lead.
“Being out there after 36 holes, 36 to go, it’s important to have a chance, especially on a course that I’ve never seen before and a tournament this important,” he said.
“It is the Rolex Series and it is the PGA here in Europe, it’s the flagship event, so it’s a tournament we all want to win. There’s a lot of history here and a lot of legends on the walls, so it would be great to join that great list of players.”
Willett wooed the massive crowds on a pleasant day with some spectacular golf. An eagle and six birdies helped him post a 65 to go to the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m probably not back to my best,” he said. “Still working on the moves and there are still shots in there that I don’t like.
“As a whole, the body is night and day to where it was and the movements are good. The ability to travel around the world and play golf now is back there and I’m just in a much better place with everything, really.
“It’s good fun to be back here, back in contention with a few of these big tournaments and get the juices flowing and see how you can finish.
“This is our Tour’s main tournament, our biggest tournament of the year, and it’s always nice to come back. It’s even nicer to come back playing quite well and being up there. Hopefully, an exciting weekend to come.”
