Fort Worth, May 30 -- Akshay Bhatia produced one of the standout rounds of the day to vault into contention at the Charles Schwab Challenge, firing a five-under-par 65 in the second round and moving into a share of sixth place heading into the weekend at Colonial Country Club.

The Indian-American left-hander climbed 26 places on the leader board with a composed and aggressive display that took him to eight-under-par for 36 holes, just two shots behind halfway leader Jordan Smith. With conditions expected to remain demanding over the weekend, Bhatia has firmly placed himself in the mix for what could become another significant PGA Tour title challenge, according to a release.

Sahith Theegala (67-70) was T-47 and Sudarshan Yellamaraju (71...