Scottish Open: Shubhankar Sharma gives away early gains, SSP Chawrasia slips

St. Andrews (Scotland), October 18

Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia had a disappointing outing after two good days, as he slipped to four-over 76 to drop to tied 51st from tied 18th at the 2020 Scottish Championship at the Fairmont St Andrews here.

Another Indian, Shubhankar Sharma, four-under through 13 holes, gave away a lot of his gains in four holes between 14th and 17th and shot two-under 70 and got to three-under to rise T-43.

Matt Wallace carded a brilliant bogey free 66 to open up a three-shot lead heading into the final round.

The Englishman, who won three times in 2018, including in India at the Hero Indian Open, had four birdies and an eagle to get to 18-under. He could have been further ahead had he holed a few other chances from inside 15 feet.

Chawrasia, who had 69-69 in the first two rounds, never really got going as he dropped a double bogey on fifth and then bogeys on eighth and ninth. He turned in four-over.

His first birdie of the day came on 12th, but he gave it back on the very next hole. He again birdied 15th, only to hand back that gain on 16th.

Sharma had just one birdie in his first 10 holes, but no bogeys. He hit a purple patch with three birdies in a row from 11th to 13th, but went to the other extreme handing in bogeys on 14th, 16th and 17th as he went through a stretch of seven holes with four birdies and three bogeys and no pars and finished with 70.

Wallace’s fellow Englishman Countryman Garrick Porteous (66) was the closest at 15-under, while Spaniard Adrian Otaegui (70) was 14-under and American Sean Crocker (67) was fourth at 13-under. PTI