Shubhankar Sharma added 1-under 69 to his first round even-par 70 to make the cut in the Joburg Open placed tied-43rd. Sharma, who is making an early start to his DP World Tour campaign, had two birdies and a double bogey in his first round. He added three birdies against two bogeys in the second. World No. 1,214 Nikhil Rama shot a brilliant, bogey-free round of 62 on day two to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Houghton Golf Club.
He is playing in only his 10th DP World Tour event and has made just two cuts with a best finish of tied-33rd here 12 months ago.
Rama, who had said after shooting 65 in the opening round that he could compete on any tour, set about proving it on Day 2.
Rama is in the field courtesy a career-best fourth-place finish on the Sunshine Tour at the recent Vodacom Origins of Golf Finals. He carded six birdies and a spectacular hole-out eagle to get to 13-under and lead the way from 2022 champion Thriston Lawrence.
Dean Burmester matched Rama’s 62 to sit at 10-under alongside Jacques Kruyswijk, one clear of Zander Lombard as the South Africans took every spot in the top seven.
Rama will now go out alongside four-time DP World Tour winner Lawrence, who had fired an opening 62 to lead by three after day one, and it looked like he would stay on top as he extended that to four once the morning wave had finished.
Burmester’s 62 was the third this week to match the new course record and he was even able to throw in a bogey on the eighth, adding a hat-trick of birdies from the third, four in a row from the 10th and a birdie-birdie finish as he came home in 29.
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