Sports News | Thangaraja Takes Five-shot Lead in Round Three at Ahmedabad Open
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Sri Lankan golfer N Thangaraja showcased his fine putting form to climb back to the top of the leaderboard by taking an imposing five-shot lead in round three of the Rs one crore Ahmedabad Open here on Thursday.
Ahmedabad, Mar 6 (PTI) Sri Lankan golfer N Thangaraja showcased his fine putting form to climb back to the top of the leaderboard by taking an imposing five-shot lead in round three of the Rs one crore Ahmedabad Open here on Thursday.
The 43-year-old Thangaraja (65-73-69), the round one leader who had slipped to second place, struck a solid three-under 69 to regain his lead and move his total to nine-under 207.
Thangaraja will now be eyeing his fifth PGTI title and his first win since 2023 on Friday.
Chandigarh's Harendra Gupta (70-67-75), the halfway leader, carded a 75 in the penultimate round to drop to tied-second place at four-under 212.
Mysuru's Yashas Chandra (72-70-70), the only player to have not returned an over-par score in the tournament so far, came up with a second straight 70 to gain one spot and join Gupta in tied-second position.
Ahmedabad's Varun Parikh (69) was in tied-fifth place at one-under 215.
Former PGTI Order of Merit winner Manu Gandas of Gurugram carded the day's best score of 67 to be placed tied 10th at two-over 218.
Thangaraja, who had a poor day with the putter in round two, produced a contrasting third round having turned around his putting form. Thanga made four birdies, all of which came as a result of conversions from six feet. He dropped a lone bogey.
"I made 16 greens in regulation today, landed it close consistently and sank most putts. I'm glad I was able to regain my putting form just before the all-important final round, said Thangaraja.
"My ability to play the low shot well helped me a lot in the windy conditions here at Kensville. The low shot always gives an advantage of about five to six yards when playing in windy conditions. I'm now keen to get back to winning ways."
Yashas Chandra made three birdies and a bogey during his round of 70 while Harendra Gupta conceded three bogeys during his 75.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)