Event leader Shaurya Bhattacharya managed the conditions well enough to take an edge into the final day of the Kolar Open at Zion Hills near Bangalore on Thursday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Making the most of his opportunities on a breezy Thursday, event leader Shaurya Bhattacharya did enough to take a two-shot edge into the final round of the Kolar Open at the Zion Hills course near Bangalore.
Bhattacharya shot a 1 under par 71 to head the field by two strokes in the second edition of the Rs 1 crore event presented by Zion Hills Golf County, the DP World PGTI said.
The 23-year-old, who began the day three strokes clear now totals 10 under 206 ahead of Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (73-68-67) and Mohd Azhar (70-68-70) of Hyderabad at 8 under 208.
Cheema was the biggest mover among Bhattacharya’s nearest challengers, returning a 5 under card to climb into contention as Azhar too stayed in the hunt with his 70.
The Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek (76-70-63) produced the low round of the day, firing a bogey-free 9 under 63 featuring nine birdies.
Danek’s round included four consecutive birdies at the very start as he climbed from tied 14th overnight to fourth on 7 under 209.
Bangladesh’s Badal Hossain (69-72-69) was fifth on 6 under 210, while 2024 DP World PGTI Rankings champion Veer Ahlawat (71-71-69) of Gurgaon was sixth on 5 under 211.
Bhattacharya’s round was played in testing weather, with rain and strong winds making the back nine particularly demanding.
The three-time DP World PGTI winner struck the ball well but missed two short putts during the closing stretch.
Testing conditions
“The rain and strong winds made the conditions difficult, especially on the back nine,” said Bhattacharya. “I hit the ball well but missed two short putts coming home.”
A birdie on the final hole provided a timely lift and allowed him to restore a two-shot cushion ahead of Sunday’s final round.
“Finishing with a birdie was important and gave me a positive end to the round,” he said.
Currently 16th in the season rankings, the tournament leader does not plan to alter the approach that has kept him at the top through the first three days.
“The plan is to keep finding fairways and hitting greens,” Bhattacharya said. “That approach has worked well over the first three rounds, so I’ll stay with it tomorrow.”
Current money list leader Saptak Talwar (72-71-70) rose from tied ninth to seventh place at three-under 213.
Defending champion Kshitij Naveed Kaul (73-75-66) of Delhi made one of the day’s biggest moves, his 6 under 66 lifting him from T22 to shared eighth at 2 under 214.
Kaul was joined by Coal India Open winer Shubham Jaglan (70-73-71) of Panipat and Jaipur’s Prakhar Asawa (71-71-72).
Also read: Bhattacharya extends his advantage after day two at Kolar Open
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