Ahmedabad, 02-04-2015

Shubhankar Sharma opens up mammoth six-shot lead on penultimate day

Shubhankar Sharma of the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, opened up a mammoth six-shot lead on the penultimate day of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens thanks to his third round effort of six-under-66. Shubhankar’s three-day total now stands at 16-under-200. Chikkarangappa of Bangalore, who shot a one-under-71 on day three, was placed second at 10-under-206.

Shubhankar Sharma (69-65-66), the overnight leader by one shot, picked up his first shot of the day on the fourth where he landed his approach within five feet of the flag. The 18-year-old suffered a minor setback on the par-3 seventh as his tee shot found the slope of the bunker and thus resulted in a bogey. Shubhankar, who holds the distinction of being the youngest winner on the PGTI at age 17, produced four straight birdies from the eighth through the 11th courtesy some accurate iron-play. He sank his longest putt of the day, a 25-footer, on the 11th.

Sharma opened up a big gap between himself and the rest of the field with an eagle on the 14th and birdie on the 17th. While on the 14th, he dished out a superb second shot to leave himself a six-feet eagle putt, on the 17th he knocked it in from 12 feet. Shubhankar closed the day with a bogey on the 18th after his tee shot went off target.

“I think today’s round was my best effort of the week so far considering the conditions were the toughest as compared to the first two days. The wind was a major factor through the day. The eagle on the 14th really spurred me on. The 14th has been a profitable hole for me as I eagled it in round two as well and birdied it on day one,” said Shubhankar, who heads into the final round as the top contender for the title.

He added, “I played well under pressure today as I started the day with a slender one-shot lead and knew that I had to make it count. I enjoy a substantial advantage at the moment but I have to keep up the intensity in the final round in order to stay ahead. I have to set myself a target and play accordingly.”

Chikkarangappa (69-66-71), who was overnight joint second, ended the day in lone second after an eventful round of 71 that featured seven birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey.

Anirban Lahiri’s 2014 course record of eight-under-64 was under threat from M Dharma (69-72-66) of Bangalore as the latter was eight-under through 14 holes thanks to an eagle and six birdies. Dharma, who chipped-in for eagle on the eighth, however, dropped two bogeys towards the end to return a 66. He closed the day in tied third at nine-under-207.

Noida’s Rahul Bajaj (68-67-72), who was overnight tied second, joined Dharma in tied third after his even-par-72 on Thursday. Bajaj mixed six birdies with four bogeys and a double-bogey.

Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi occupied fifth place at eight-under-208 while Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee and Sanjeev Kumar of Lucknow shared sixth position at seven-under-209.

Delhi’s Rashid Khan ended the day in eighth place at six-under-210 while Kolkata’s SSP Chawrasia and Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah were a further shot back in tied ninth.

Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu sank two eagles during his round of 72 which also featured a birdie and five bogeys. He was tied 17th at one-under-215.

Sri Lankan Mithun Perera was tied 26th at two-over-218.