Shillong, Meghalaya, 14-11-2014

Sanjay Kumar two shots clear on penultimate day, emerges firm favourite for title

Prabagaran, Mukesh occupy second and third places to stay in the hunt

Lucknow golfer Sanjay Kumar’s bogey-free 67 in round three ensured he stayed two shots clear of the rest of the field at the Rs. 40 lakh Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Open Golf 2014. Sanjay’s three-day total stands at 11-under-199 at the richest tournament to be staged in North-East India. Sri Lankan K Prabagaran and Mukesh Kumar of Mhow stayed in the hunt as they occupied second and third places at nine-under-201 and eight-under-202 respectively.

Sanjay Kumar (66-66-67), the overnight leader, continued his surge on day three at the Shillong Golf Course with an error-free three-under-67. The 43-year-old was off to a brilliant start on Friday as he sank a 15-footer to gain a stroke on the first hole. He consolidated his lead with another eight feet birdie conversion on the fifth. The ice cool golfer produced an immaculate approach shot on the 11th that led to a tap-in birdie. Sanjay was steady for the rest of the day and never looked in danger of dropping a shot. 

Sanjay, looking for his first win on the PGTI in three years, said, “I feel I’ve adapted well to this course. I’ve planned my round well on the first three days. I just need to continue doing the same on the last day in order to have a shot at the title.

“I had a good start today with long birdie conversions on the first and fifth and set the tone for the rest of the round. I’ve not won on the PGTI for a long time now and so there is a burning desire to get a title under my belt. I think my strength is that I never put too much pressure on myself and always stay calm on the course no matter what the situation is,” added Sanjay.

K Prabagaran (67-67-67), a winner on the PGTI in 2014, shot a third consecutive 67 to keep himself in the hunt. Prabagaran held on to his overnight second position after capping another solid round with five birdies and two bogeys.

Prabagaran said, “My short-game shaped up really well on day three. I played just two poor shots on the back-nine that cost me bogeys. I’ll go into the final round with a lot of self-belief as I have a title against my name this year. Keeping the errors out of the game will be crucial in the final round.”

Mukesh Kumar (64-72-66), who shot an ordinary 72 on day two, made a strong comeback on Friday as he posted an eventful 66 to climb from overnight tied fourth to third position. The experienced Mukesh, who mixed six birdies with two bogeys in round three, will also be a strong contender for the title on the final day. The Mhow golfer landed it within a couple of feet for birdies on the fourth and eighth and sank two long birdie putts on the ninth and 16th.   

Kolkata golfers Shankar Das and Mohammad Sanju lie tied fourth at six-under-204 while Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja are a further shot back in joint sixth place.

Delhi’s Manav Jaini shot the day’s best score of five-under-65 to be tied 14th at one-under-209.