Chandigarh, 21-02-2013
Lohan & Saini in with a chance, share lead with Mukesh
Gupta, Chikka on the joint leaders’ tail
Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Kapurthala’s Ashbeer Saini shot scores of 68 and 71 respectively to climb into the joint third round lead along with overnight leader Mukesh Kumar of Mhow who fired an ordinary 75 on Thursday. The three golfers have matching total scores of seven-under-209 after three days of competition at the PGTI Players Championship being played at the Chandigarh Golf Club.
Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta and Chikkarangappa of Bangalore were one shot behind the joint leaders in tied fourth place.
Abhinav Lohan’s (70-71-68) four-under-68, the best score of round three, catapulted him from overnight tied sixth position to the top of the leaderboard. Lohan was off to a wonderful start on an overcast day as he birdied the first hole from 20 feet. He then found the trees with his tee shot on the fourth and subsequently missed a chip-putt on the same hole to drop a double bogey.
Abhinav, a silver-medallist from the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, however, made an inspiring comeback on the very next hole, the par-4 fifth. The 23-year-old holed his second shot from a distance of 120 yards for a magnificent eagle. His golden run continued on the sixth where he landed his approach within a foot of the pin for another birdie. Lohan added two more birdies on the 11th and 16th to end the penultimate day in the joint lead.
Lohan, who had six top-10s on the PGTI last season, said, “The eagle was the turning point in my round. It was perfectly timed as it negated the effect of the double bogey on the previous hole. I didn’t look back after that and played solid till the end. Nonetheless, I did leave a few birdie putts today, something that I need to improve on in order to have a chance in the final round. I’ve been in contention on few occasions in the past so I’m now looking forward to breaking that victory barrier.”
Ashbeer Saini (70-68-71) produced a sedate one-under-71 in round three that featured four birdies and three bogeys. The 19-year-old rookie had a bogey on the first but picked up the pace with birdies on the fourth, sixth and seventh. He converted a 20-footer on the fourth and hit some outstanding wedge shots to set up birdies on the sixth and seventh.
Saini suffered setbacks with bogeys on the eighth and 10th but managed to recover some ground thanks to a 15 feet birdie putt on the 16th.
“It’s been a great start to my professional career this week. I’d like to end the week on a high with a good performance in the final round. I putted well today but bogeys due to a three-putt on the eighth and a poor tee shot on the 10th pulled me back. Gaganjeet Bhullar has given me valuable advice on how to play this course and that will help me in the final round,” said Ashbeer.
Mukesh Kumar’s (67-67-75) four-stroke overnight advantage was wiped out as a result of his round of 75 on Thursday. The 47-year-old found the trees on the second and 16th where he dropped a double bogey and bogey respectively. He also landed his second shot in the water for bogey on the 18th. His lone birdie of the day was on the 13th.
Mukesh said, “It was one of those days where everything went wrong. I did not have a swing on two occasions as a result of finding the trees. I was scrambling through the day. Nevertheless, I will use all my experience to finish well in the final round.”
Rookie Chikkarangappa and local favourite and defending champ Harendra Gupta are breathing down the joint leaders’ neck in tied fourth with totals of six-under-210. Chikka shot a bogey-free two-under-70 in round three while Gupta posted an even-par-72 to stay in contention.
Pros brighten up gloomy day with colourful attire
A gloomy day characterized by overcast conditions and the absence of wind at the Chandigarh Golf Club was brightened up by the colourful attire of the professional golfers participating in the PGTI Players Championship.
A number of golfers were seen sporting bright-coloured trousers on Thursday. While Delhi-based Raj Randhawa wore light green trousers, Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma was sporting a red pair. Siddharth Seth, another Delhi golfer, who was also the first round joint leader, was seen in Indigo blue trousers.
Raj Randhawa said, “Bright and vibrant colours have become the norm as far as a modern-day golfer’s clothing is concerned. I wear bright colours because I feel they make me stand out and give out positive vibes. They also add to a golfer’s confidence.”
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
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Email: media@pgtofindia.com
