By Rahul Banerji
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma shot the week’s lowest score of 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead on the penultimate day of the Rs 1 crore Haryana Open at Panchkula on Friday.
Fellow Tricity golfer Jairaj Singh Sandhu (203) was second behind the in-form Sharma who had totalled 15-under 201 at the Panchkula Golf Club, the PGTI said.
DLF Golf & Country Club’s Honey Baisoya (66) and Abhinav Lohan (69) were also in contention heading into round four in joint third place on 12-under 204.
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, sixth on 10-under 206 and Angad Cheema tied for 10th on 8t-under 208 were the other two Chandigarh players in the top-10.
Tata Steel PGTI Ranking leader Om Prakash Chouhan (71) was in a share of 10th as well.
Sharma (68-68-65), who won the last of his two titles at Panchkula Golf Club back in 2020, used memories from that win to his advantage on Friday.
The 33-year-old made a slow start with three pars and a bogey on his first four holes before picking up the pace with three birdies. His second bogey of the day on the ninth was his last error.
Picking up
Sharma, currently eighth on the PGTI’s money list with two runner-up finishes in the last three events, was on fire on the back nine as he picked up six birdies to move into the sole lead.
In all, Akshay made six conversions from a range of 10 to 25 feet.
Sharma, who moved up two spots from his overnight third place, said, “I wasn’t happy with my short-game yesterday but today it was my chipping and putting that stood out.
“I made 24 putts in all. Besides the long-range putts including two from the fringe, Also landed a few chips very close to the pin.
“My current form and consistency, familiarity with this course as I play here often and memories from my win here, give me loads of confidence going into the final round.
“Clarity of mind and keeping things simple will be most important for me in the last round.”
Twenty-six-year-old left-hander Jairaj Singh Sandhu (66-69-68), the joint halfway leader, made a brilliant start with a 30-foot birdie conversion on the second and an eagle-two on the third where he holed it from 40 yards.
Balancing out
Sandhu, looking for his maiden title, added another birdie on the ninth but then had a contrasting back nine with three birdies and three bogeys.
Currently 44th on the PGTI’s merit list, with one top-10 this season, Sandhu said, “I dropped just two bogeys over the first two days and today I dropped three.
“That was the difference. Too many errors in round three. I’ll now look to play the final round the way I played rounds one and two.”
Kolkata’s Shankar Das made a hole-in-one on the second hole during his round of 71. He was placed tied 30th on 3-under 213.
Round 3 leaders
201: Akshay Sharma (68-68-65)
203: Jairaj Singh Sandhu (66-69-68)
204: Honey Baisoya (68-70-66); Abhinav Lohan (67-68-69)
Also read: Abhinav Lohan, Jairaj Sandhu share Haryana Open halfway lead
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