Akshay, Bishnoi share lead after Round 3

Chandigarh, August 18

Akshay Sharma of Chandigarh carded a three-under 69 while Gurugram’s Sunhit Bishnoi came in with a two-under 70 as the duo gained a two-shot advantage over the rest of the field at a total of 12-under 204 after Round 3 of the Rs 50-lakh Pro Championship 2023 being organised at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course in Chennai.

Day 3 of the tournament, also known as the moving day in golf, saw Kolkata’s Divyanshu Bajaj produce the week’s lowest round, an eight-under 64, to zoom 24 places to be tied third at 10-under 206 with Chandigarh golfer Harendra Gupta (69).

Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain was placed fifth at nine-under 207.

On a gusty day with tougher pin positions in place, there were fewer under-par scores (34) in Round 2 as compared to Round 1 (45). Bishnoi’s 68 helped him rise from being the overnight joint leader to the sole leader at a total of 10-under 134.

Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (67) occupied the second place at nine-under 135 while Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain (69) was a further shot back in third place.

Akshay (68-67-69), a two-time winner on the PGTI, chipped his way to the top of the leaderboard on Friday. The 32-year-old dropped three bogeys, but he more than made up for it with six birdies that included two chip-ins and three other accurate chips that led to tap-ins.

Akshay said, “The chip-in on the 12th gave me good momentum despite the slow start. I was quite sharp around the greens on the back-nine, and that was evident from the fact that I made a total of 10 putts after the turn. If I can continue doing the same in the final round, I feel I would have a good shot at the title.”

Bishnoi (66-68-70), who hails from the DLF Golf & Country Club, continued in the lead for a third day straight. Sunhit, like Akshay, too had a far better back-nine where he made the most of his chances on the greens. After being two-over through 11 holes, Bishnoi sank four birdies over the last seven holes including the 16th, 17th and 18th to finish the day in style.

Divyanshu Bajaj scored an eagle, nine birdies (including five on the trot) and three bogeys during his sensational 64. Divyanshu, who admitted to playing some smart golf, made all four par-5s count as he sank a 12-ft eagle on the 16th before picking up birdies on the other three par-5s, the 18th, the first and the second.

PGTI Order of Merit leader Om Prakash Chouhan was tied for 14th at six-under 210.