Melbourne, Australia, 24-11-2018
Indian team slips to tied 11th on day three of World Cup of Golf
The Indian team of Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who started the third round of the World Cup of Golf in tied third place, slipped nine shots off the pace to tied 11th after posting a two-under-70 on Saturday.
The duo totaled 10-under-206 after the penultimate round of the prestigious US$7 million event.
The lead was held by Belgium at 19-under-197.
Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar traded five birdies against three bogeys for a battling round of 70 in the fourball match on Saturday. Lahiri contributed three birdies while Bhullar made two for the team. Lahiri and Bhullar each dropped a shot on the third and 17th respectively.
Anirban said, "I think we got off to a bad start and then we recovered quite well. I think we made like four birdies in five holes on the front nine to kind of get some momentum. And then just around the turn I think we hit a couple of very good shots on the 11th hole but both of us caught bad breaks there and made bogey.
"I think after that, given that today was a day to go low, I think it was a case of also trying a little hard and, you know, sometimes when you push hard, it pushes back. I hit a lot of bad shots and I kind of left him hanging a little bit and that adds pressure. The flow that needs to be there wasn't there, but it's over now so we've got to focus on tomorrow.
"It's going to be important tomorrow to, you know, stay focused right through the round. I think there were times on the course that both of us lost focus a little bit, so tomorrow's going to be a good opportunity because it's going to be a tougher format. If we go out there and play our best, we can really pick up some ground."
Gaganjeet said, "It was tough. I think we both didn't play very well like we did yesterday and the day before. There were a lot of, you know, weak links today. I guess they were quite a few holes where we both struggled at the same time and I think in this format one needs to be in play.
"But otherwise, I mean, we were very comfortable, we were riding high in confidence, but it was just like one of those days where we tried hard but nothing went inside the hole.
"I think yesterday we guys were very comfortable with our game plan and we guys played really solid and the goal is just to repeat what we did and, you know, just work on a few other aspects. Obviously once we finish lunch, we'll have all will have a chat and make a solid plan for tomorrow.
"It's a different format from what we played back in 2013 and, you know, this kind of format, I think everybody's enjoying it. Obviously as a team, you know, we enjoy more of this format than what we played in 2013.
"It's also been five years. We're both now professionals for around 10 years, so we come in with a lot more experience. I think that also makes a big difference. We've played together on many teams before, including the EurAsia Cup two times. I think that's definitely been an added advantage coming into this week."
The Indians still have a chance of improving on their best finish at the event which is ninth place. The team of Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa had finished ninth in Portugal in 2005.
The tournament will switch back to foursomes format for the all-important final round on Sunday.
Source: Asian Tour
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