Kolkata, 14-12-2019

Mithun Perera leaps into the joint lead with a determined 67 in round three of ICC RCGC Open Golf Championship 2019; Kapil Kumar shares the lead to stay on top for the third day running

Sri Lankan Mithun Perera leapt into the joint lead with a determined five-under-67 in round three of the ICC RCGC Open Golf Championship 2019 Powered by Bharat Benz, a TATA Steel PGTI event, being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).

Delhi’s Kapil Kumar, who fired a sedate even-par-72 on Saturday, continued on top of the leaderboard for the third day in succession as he shared the lead with Perera at eight-under-208 at the Rs. 40 lakh event.

Lucknow’s Sanjeev Kumar produced a 67 on day three to occupy third place at six-under-210.

Delhi’s Shamim Khan struck the day’s best score of 66 to move into tied sixth at three-under-213.

Mithun Perera (71-70-67), lying overnight tied fifth and five off the lead, made an encouraging start with birdies on the first and fifth, the latter being a chip-in. A couple of missed chip-putts on the seventh and eighth brought the 32-year-old six-time winner on the PGTI back to even-par for the day.

Perera, known for his accurate hitting, then turned on the heat on the back-nine with five birdies, three coming as a result of long conversions and while two were tap-ins. Mithun, who last won a title in March 2018, came close to making his second chip-in of the day on the 18th where he had to settle for a par. He is currently the only player in the field to have shot three sub-par rounds.

Perera, placed 26th in the PGTI Order of Merit, said, “I hit a lot of fairways and regulations today and that really is the key at this course in order to create birdie chances. I also putted well and sank about three birdie putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet. The birdie on the 10th was a big morale-booster as it helped me recover from the setback of the bogeys on the seventh and eighth.

“My accuracy is my big plus point going into the final round. It gives me a slight edge over my nearest rivals who are also not as experienced as I am. I have done well at RCGC in the past having won the East India Amateur here in 2007. Luckily, Saltu who caddied for me during my 2007 win here is back with me as my caddie this week. Hopefully, he will bring me luck once again.” 

Kapil Kumar’s (68-68-72) chipping woes continued for the second straight day as his four birdies were neutralized by four bogeys which were all a result of missed chip-putts. Kapil was the sole leader by two shots till the 16th hole before he faltered with bogeys on the last two holes.

Kapil, searching for his maiden title, said, “My chipping was poor and my putting was average today. I missed four chip-putts yesterday as well as today and all of them have resulted in bogeys. I just didn’t give myself enough chances today. Chipping will be the area that I will obviously focus on improving in the final round.

“Nevertheless, I’m pleased that I’m still in the lead and have a good chance on the final day” added Kumar, whose best result on the PGTI so far has been runner-up.

Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia (70) is the highest-ranked local player in tied fourth at four-under-212. Faridabad-based Abhinav Lohan (67), whose round featured a run of four straight birdies on Saturday, is also in tied fourth.

Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane (76) dropped from overnight second to tied sixth at three-under-213.

Bengaluru’s M Dharma (76) slipped from overnight third to tied eighth at two-under-214.

Delhi-based rookie Kshitij Naveed Kaul, the highest-ranked player in the field being fourth in the PGTI Rankings, was placed tied 18th at one-over-217.