American golfer Jhared Hack fired his second straight bogey-free round to grab the halfway lead at the ₹1.5 crore DP World Players Championship 2026 at Qutab Golf Course in New Delhi.
Hack, who recently clinched the season-opening DP World PGTI title in Naya Raipur, followed up his opening-round 64 with an even better seven-under 63 on Wednesday.
His two-round total of 13-under 127 lifted him from overnight tied third to the top of the leaderboard, despite not feeling at his physical best during the round.
India’s Honey Baisoya, another strong performer this season, carded a 65 after his opening 63 to remain in second place at 12-under 128. The seven-time PGTI champion had also finished third at last week’s event in Chhattisgarh.
Jamal Hossain occupied third place at 11-under 129. A group comprising Tapendra Ghai, Dhruv Sheoran, Veer Ahlawat and Amardeep Malik shared fourth position at eight-under 132.
The cut was set at one-over 141, with 56 professionals advancing to the final rounds.
Based in Las Vegas, the 36-year-old Hack surged ahead with a strong back nine, where he picked up five birdies.
His round featured several close chances, including an eagle attempt that narrowly missed from 30 feet and a confident 15-foot birdie conversion. He wrapped up his front nine with back-to-back birdies to maintain momentum.
Reflecting on his performance, Hack said he focused on accuracy off the tee to create scoring opportunities on the tree-lined layout. He described his approach as patient and measured, adding that solid ball-striking and timely putting helped him capitalize on the chances he created.
