Coal India Open 2026: Kshitij Naveed Kaul moved into the clubhouse lead at the Coal India Open after carding a four-under 66 in the second round at Tollygunge Club on Wednesday. Heavy rain then forced play to be suspended, with almost half the field still to complete their rounds.
Kaul, who opened with a 64, reached 10-under 130 after making five birdies and one bogey. He began the day two shots behind the overnight leaders before moving to the top of the leaderboard.
Starting from the first tee, Kaul made five straight pars before finding his first birdie on the sixth. He followed it with another birdie on the seventh and added three more shots on the back nine.
His only dropped shot came on the 18th, where worsening weather made conditions increasingly difficult.
A 20-foot birdie putt on the sixth sparked Kaul's round, while he also came close to an eagle on the 10th before settling for another birdie. An important up-and-down on the 14th helped him maintain his momentum.
The second round was officially suspended at 3:45 pm local time because of heavy rain and wet course conditions. Play will resume at 7 am on Thursday.
“We played the final hole in the rain and were fortunate to finish before the weather worsened. I don’t think the group behind us managed to complete its round,” Kaul said.
Chandigarh's Akshay Sharma produced one of the day's best completed rounds, carding a five-under 65 to move from tied ninth into second.
Sharma's 66-65 aggregate of nine-under 131 leaves him one shot behind Kaul.
Overnight leader Om Prakash Chouhan could not match his stunning opening round of 62. The Mhow golfer shot an even-par 70 after making three birdies and three bogeys, taking his total to eight-under 132.
He shares third place with current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar, who also carded a five-under 65. Talwar climbed from tied 14th to third after reaching eight-under.
Kaul said the confidence gained from last week's J&K Open in Srinagar has helped him maintain his form in Kolkata.
“The course played a little longer today and the conditions were tougher,” Kaul said. “I had a few early birdie opportunities that I couldn’t convert, but I stayed patient and am pleased with the way I kept myself in contention.”
Ajeetesh Sandhu, who was second after opening with a 63, managed only three holes in the second round and remains seven-under.
Shaurya Bhattacharya, who was tied third after a six-under 64 on the opening day, had only just started his second round when the rain stopped play.
The projected cut currently stands at one-over.
