Bhullar is sole seventh at International Series Philippines

India’s 11-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar in action at the $2 million International Series Philippines in Manila on Saturday. Image courtesy Asian Tour.

By Rahul Banerji

Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour, moved into sole seventh place four shots off the lead at the $2 million International Series Philippines in Manila on Saturday.

At the top, Sampson Zheng set up a final-round contest with home hero Miguel Tabuena and in-form Sarit Suwannarut of Thailand riding a sensational 10-under par 62 third round.

Sarit (69), a two-time International Series winner, set out four shots ahead of Tabuena and Kazuki Higa, but was caught on Moving Day by the hard-charging Zheng, and Tabuena, who made two eagles and three birdies for a flawless 65.

The lead trio was one ahead of Japan’s Yosuke Asaji (65), while South Africa’s LIV Golf star Dean Burmester (65) and Higa (68) were tied for fifth on 14-under. 

Bhullar (67) bogeyed his closing hole but held seventh place on 13-under, one ahead of Australia’s Marc Leishman (65).

Bhullar’s five-under round had him just four shots off the lead, delivering an almost flawless performance before the late bogey.

On target

“I played really well today. I probably hit 13 out of 14 fairways and 16 out of 18 greens, so I kept some really good momentum going. 

“Drove the ball well, hit my irons close, and gave myself plenty of birdie opportunities. I also made a couple of really good up-and-downs for par – especially on holes 11 and 17 – which helped keep the round on track. 

“Overall, it was a solid day of golf, just a small miss on the final hole where I couldn’t get up and down, but I’m happy with how I played.”

Chandigarh golfer Karandeep Kochhar also returned a 67 to break into the top 20 going into the final round, while Ajeetesh Sandhu posted a level par 72, highlighted by an eagle on eight, to sit T50 on five under.

China’s 24-year-old Zheng rode a hot putter and jumped into contention with a round that featured eight birdies and an eagle on the par-five eighth hole. 

Crucial save

The round included four straight birdies on the back nine followed by a crucial par save on his final hole where he two-putted from 45 feet.

“I hit a lot of greens and made a lot of putts. I honestly didn’t feel like I did anything super special, but I just stuck to the game plan. 

“Hit a lot of shots very close, and fortunately made some putts,” said Zheng, whose best finish on the Asian Tour is a tied second at the Mandiri Indonesia Open and a T4 at the International Series England, last year.

“My second shot into eight was probably the best shot I hit all day. I hit a four-hybrid to 24 feet and the eagle gave me a lot of momentum. 

“It got me from two-under for the day to four, and just kind of got the snowball rolling from there. So, that was a very important shot.”

In Friday’s second round, Tabuena made a hole-in-one and an eagle, and he followed up on Saturday with eagles on the par-five third and 16th holes. 

On the third, Tabuena smashed a four-iron from 257 yards and hit a five-iron from 235 yards downwind on the 16th.

Tabuena said: “To be honest, I totally forgot my score out there. I was just cruising and found myself in a real flow state — which is exactly what I wanted to achieve at the start of the day. 

Clear focus

“I didn’t want to think about my score or what the other players were doing, jjust wanted to focus on my own game and execute my plan, and it was nice to be able to do that today.

“I haven’t played in front of that many people in a long time. It just makes it even more special that it’s happening here at home. Hopefully, I can get the job done tomorrow.”

After making 16 birdies in his first 36 holes, Sarit could add only five in the third, apart from two bogeys – one of which came on the par-five eighth.

“It was a tough day. I didn’t hit my driver as good as the first two days, and the pins were a little bit tougher. 

“So, I’ll say overall solid, but not as good as I wanted,” said the 27-year-old, who was leading by four shots the previous week in Macao, but finished tied fourth.

Also read: Bhullar battles to stay on track with share of the lead at Jakarta