Mysuru, 10-08-2024

Teenage amateur Veer Ganapathy storms into joint third round lead with a sensational 61, Shaurya Binu gives Veer company at the top

Teenage amateur Veer Ganapathy of Bengaluru stormed into the joint third round lead after firing a sensational nine-under 61 at the INR 1 Crore Mysuru Open 2024 Hosted by Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club (JWGC).

Shaurya Binu, another Bengalurean, returned a six-under 64 to give Veer company at the top of the pack at a total of 18-under 192.

A bunch of seven golfers trail the leaders by three shots and are placed tied third. This group includes Amardeep Malik, Angad Cheema, Pukhraj Singh Gill, and Aryan Roopa Anand, all having shot scores of 65, as well as Aman Raj (66), overnight leader Arjun Sharma (68) and Kartik Sharma (67).

Seventeen-year-old Veer Ganapathy (63-68-61), who was overnight 12th and lying four off the lead, made most fairways, sank five birdies from a range of eight to 15 feet and recovered well from the rough a few times with his exceptional wedge shots at what he terms as his second home course. The left-handed Veer’s bogey-free 61 thus matched the lowest round of the tournament, a score also shot by Kshitij Naveed Kaul in round two and Saptak Talwar earlier in round three. Saptak ended the day in tied 15th at 13-under 197.

Veer, the son of former Indian professional Rahul Ganapathy, will be playing in the final round leader group in his very first appearance in a professional event. The three-time winner on the junior tour is now chasing history as he looks to become the youngest winner on the PGTI at the age of 17 years and 139 days. The record is currently held by Karandeep Kochhar who won on the PGTI in 2016 at the age of 17 years and 163 days. Ganapathy is also in line to become the third amateur to win on the PGTI.  

Ganapathy said, “After a great opening round, I made a slow start on day two being three-over through six holes. But I told myself to remain calm and came back strongly thereafter in round two and today. Today I just wanted to have fun and embrace the moment. I hit my irons and wedges well and also sank a lot of putts. Some good recoveries from the rough also helped.

“I’m now looking forward to playing with the experienced pros and enjoying myself in the final round. I’ll look to capitalize on my good recent form.”

Shaurya Binu (64-64-64) shot a third straight 64 to move up one spot to tied first. Shaurya, who won his maiden title on the PGTI earlier this year, drained seven birdies in exchange for a lone bogey on Saturday. The 20-year-old Shaurya chipped-in on the fourth and knocked in a 40-footer on the seventh for his standout birdies. He made a great recovery for a bogey on the 17th after his tee shot hit the tree.

Shaurya said, “It was all about adapting well to the wet conditions caused by the heavy rain on Friday. On the par-5s I took advantage of my length and switched to a more aerial route to get the carry instead of the roll. I played within myself and within my gameplan and the short-game was sharp.

“I’m excited about playing alongside young Veer in the leader group. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure. It reminds me of my rookie season last year.”

Mysuru-based professionals Yashas Chandra and Aalaap I L were both tied 35th at eight-under 202.