Yannik Paul (Ger), first round leader, shot a second round of three under par 69 for a 36 hole total of 134, 10 under par, to lead by five shots in the $2 million Hero Indian Open at DLF G&CC, New Delhi on the DP World Tour.

28 year-old Paul, currently 119th in the OWGR teed off hole 10 and had nines of 33 and 36 with just his second dropped shot of the week on the third hole, his twelfth.

He graduated from the Challenge Tour and first played the DP World Tour in 2022.

On completing his round Paul said, ‘I played well today, perhaps better than yesterday, I felt the pins were in a bit tougher spots for round two on the challenging greens with more downhill putts. It is my first time here in India. The key to playing well on this course is to stay patient and have a good strategy and with quality irons you can have a lot of chances. All has worked well for me over the first two days and let’s see what the weekend brings.’

His nearest challengers are in a four-way tie at five under par, Mikko Korhonen (Fin), Gudmundur Kristjansson (Isl), Marcel Siem (Ger) and Angad Cheema (Ind).

Round of the day came from Kazuki Higa (Jap) who shot a six under par 66 for a two round total of three under par, to move up 52 spots, one of only two rounds with no bogeys in the first 36 holes, the other was by Adrien Saddier (Fr) with a four birdie second round of 68 to tie Higa in eighth place.

The third round sees the leaders out last in three-balls at 11.35 local time, with Kapur playing with fellow countryman Gaganjeet Bhullar out in a two-ball at 7.34 am.

The weather forecast is set fair for the weekend with a modest breeze with so many players in contention for a big finish all chasing Paul, with Race to Dubai Rankings, Ryder Cup and OWGR Points all available.

Second Round Leaders (7393 Yards, Par 72)

1 - Y. Paul (Ger) 65, 69 (-10)2 - G. Kristjansson (Isl) 68, 71 (-5)   - M. Korhonen (Fin) 67, 72 (-5)   - A. Cheema (Ind) 68, 71 (-5)   - M. Siem (Ger) 69, 70 (-5)6 - J. Luiten (Ned) 70, 70 (-4)   - H. Baisoya (Ind) 66, 74 (-4)