Adani Invitational day three joint leader Arjun Prasad of Delhi in action at the Jaypee Greens on Thursday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Arjun Prasad and Yuvraj Sandhu held station atop the Adani Invitational leaderboard after day three of the Rs 1.5 crore event at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort in Greater Noida on Thursday.
The two overnight joint leaders returned cards of 3 under par 69 were on 10 under 206 totals, ahead of the field by two shots, the PGTI said
Delhi’s Prasad (68-69-69) and Chandigarh player Sandhu (70-67-69), close friends and often roommates at tournaments, headed local lad Saptak Talwar (67-72-69) who gained two places to sole third on 8 under 208.
Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh shared fourth place with third round 72 and 6 under 210 totals.
Arjun Sharma (68) was the other player from Greater Noida in the top 10 in tied sixth on 5 under 211. His round on Thursday included two eagles.
Noida-based teenaged amateur Sukhman Singh returned a 73 to share 39th place on 3 over 219.
On a day when swirling winds troubled most of the field, Prasad made a hot start with three birdies in the first five holes where he had a couple of 10-foot conversions.
Full focus
After a bogey on hole eight, the 26-year-old, searching for his maiden title, bounced back with birdies on 10 with a bunker recovery and the long par-3 17thwhere he nailed his tee shot.
Prasad, currently sixth on the PGTI Order of Merit, stayed atop the leaderboard despite dropping a shot on the closing hole.
“With the wind switching direction today, quite a few holes were playing differently,” Prasad said later.
“One had to accordingly make changes in tee shots and ths lines. Making these adjustments was critical today and I managed to do that well.
“It’s always fun playing in the same group as my good friend and regular roommate Yuvraj. We play a lot of practice rounds together so we always enjoy each other’s company.
“Even today, we pushed each other to do better by making those birdies and par saves. I look forward to playing in the leader group with Yuvraj once again in the final round.”
Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu maintained his place atop the standings after Thursday’s third round in Greater Noida. Image courtesy PGTI.
Unlike in the second round, Sandhu had a relatively slow start on day three with an opening bogey.
Quick gains
The 28-year-old, winner of 11 titles including two on the PGTI this year, came roaring back with three birdies between the second and fifth holes.
Sandhu, currently third on the PGTI Order of Merit, then picked up three more shots against two bogeys on his back nine where he had mixed fortunes.
“It was an up and down day for me as the putter went cold especially on the back nine,” Sandhi said. “But I’m glad that it was topsy-turvy today as I can now expect a much better final round.
“I’m excited about playing alongside Arjun in the leader group on the final day for the second time this season. He’s been working really hard on his game so I’m looking forward to the contest.”
Also read: Yuvraj Sandhu, Arjun Prasad rise to the top at Adani Invitational
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