Shaurya Bhattacharya Maintains Lead at Kolar Open Golf Tournament
Bhattacharya's Steady Performance
In Kolar, Karnataka, Shaurya Bhattacharya secured a one-under 71 in the third round of the Kolar Open, maintaining a two-shot lead. The tournament, boasting a prize pool of Rs 1 crore, is taking place on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The 23-year-old golfer from Delhi started the day with a three-stroke advantage and has now accumulated a total of 10-under 206 after previously scoring 68 and 67 in the earlier rounds. Although his lead was trimmed by one stroke, he remains in a strong position as he heads into the final round.
Angad Cheema from Chandigarh and Mohd Azhar from Hyderabad are tied for second place at eight-under 208, with Cheema making a notable comeback with a five-under 67, while Azhar managed a two-under 70.
Stepan Danek from the Czech Republic delivered the best round of the day, a bogey-free nine-under 63, which included nine birdies. This performance propelled him from a tie for 14th to fourth place at seven-under 209.
Bangladesh's Badal Hossain is in fifth place at six-under 210, and Gurugram's Veer Ahlawat, the reigning champion of the 2024 DP World PGTI Rankings, is sixth at five-under 211.
Bhattacharya faced challenging weather conditions, with rain and strong winds particularly affecting the back nine. Despite hitting the ball well, he missed two short putts towards the end of his round.
"The rain and strong winds made the conditions difficult, especially on the back nine," Bhattacharya commented. "I hit the ball well but missed two short putts coming home."
A birdie on the final hole was crucial for him, allowing him to regain a two-shot lead ahead of the final round on Sunday.
"Finishing with a birdie was important and gave me a positive end to the round," he added.
Currently ranked 16th in the season standings, Bhattacharya plans to stick to his successful strategy for the final round. "The plan is to keep finding fairways and hitting greens. That approach has worked well over the first three rounds, so I’ll stay with it tomorrow," he stated.
Saptak Talwar, the leader in the DP World PGTI Rankings, improved his position from tied ninth to seventh place at three-under 213 after scoring 70 in this round.
Defending champion Kshitij Naveed Kaul made a significant leap, moving from tied 22nd to a share of eighth place at two-under 214 with a six-under 66. He was joined by Shubham Jaglan from Panipat and Prakhar Asawa from Jaipur, both at two-under 214. Jaglan recently celebrated his first professional title at the Coal India Open in Kolkata.