Golf: Shubhankar Sharma, SSP Chawrasia miss cut at Qatar Masters

Doha: Shubhankar Sharma and SSP Chawrasia made an early exit from the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as both missed the halfway cut here on Friday.

Shubhankar, the only multiple winner on the European Tour this season, followed up his first round 69 with a second round 72. Chawrasia had a 73 on first day and managed only 71 on the second to finish at one-under 143 and exited as the cut fell at 4-under 140.

Shubhankar, starting the second day at 3-under, opened the second round with a bogey but quickly made up on the next hole. Seven pars followed that before he bogeyed the par-5 ninth.

After four pars, he was still 2-under and seemingly out of the cut. But a birdie on 16th gave him a chance as he was back at 3-under. He needed a birdie on either 17th or 18th to get to 4-under, which was the cutline. But he failed with both managing only pars.

It was his second successive missed cut after his superb win at Maybank Malaysian Championships early this month.

Shubhankar flies to Mexico, where he makes his WGC debut, while Chawrasia will go back home where he defends his Hero Indian Open, which he has won in both 2016 and 2017.

Adrian Otaegui produced three birdies in a row at the end to get to the top of the leaderboard as the event headed into the weekend.

The Spaniard made birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th to sign for a 66 at Doha Golf Club and get to 11-under. He had a 67 in the first round.

He leads from Scot Stephen Gallacher (68-66), Frenchman Grégory Havret (65-69), England’s Eddie Pepperell (65-69) and South African Erik van Rooyen (68-66).

Otaegui won his first European Tour title at last season’s Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play and has made his last nine cuts. After a bogey-free first round of 67, he had just one bogey in his second round 66.