Consistent Sunhit Bishnoi takes Vizag Open third round lead

By Rahul Banerji

Sunhit Bishnoi shot a third successive 3 under 69 to move into the lead at 9-under 207 at the Vizag Open in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The 22-year-old’s consistent run meant he was well-placed to take a shot at his second title with a one-shot advantage over second-placed Akshay Sharma (67-68-73) of Chandigarh.

Shivendra Singh Sisodia (69-69-72), also Gurgaon-based like Bishnoi was third on 6 under 210 at the Rs 1 crore event at the East Point Golf Club, the PGTI said.

Sunhit, tied second and three shots off the lead after 36 holes, grinded it out over his first seven holes on Friday when gusts of wind were playing havoc.

He picked up two birdies on that stretch including a 25-foot conversion on the fifth to close the gap with overnight leader Akshay Sharma.

Bishnoi, who won his maiden title on the PGTI last month in Chennai, dropped a shot on the ninth but resumed his charge to the top of the leaderboard with two more birdies on the back nine.

Tap-in

They included one on hole 15 where his approach shot from 100 yards lipped out of the hole but set up a tap-in.

Sunhit said later, “I did well on the first seven holes when the conditions were the toughest. That gave me a lot of confidence and also brought me on level terms with the leader.

“Had a game plan in place after the practice round, and so far I’ve executed it well. I got some local knowledge from my playing partners on the Pro-Am day and that has been a bonus for me.”

Halfway leader Sharma had an off day with the putter that saw him slip to second place. He made 14 greens in regulation thanks to solid hitting but 34 putts meant he ended the day with a 73 that featured two birdies and three bogeys.

Shivendra also dropped one spot from tied second to third after his 72 which included four birdies and four bogeys. He made a 60-foot conversion on the first hole and a 40-footer on the 17^th.

Tata Steel PGTI Rankings leader Om Prakash Chouhan (74) was tied sixth on 3-under 213 while Visakhapatnam’s Rahman Mehboob Shorif was 53^rd on 13-over 229.

Round 3 leaders

207: Sunhit Bishnoi (69-69-69)

208: Akshay Sharma (67-68-73)

210: Shivendra Singh Sisodia (69-69-72)

Also read: Akshay Sharma takes three-shot 2nd round lead at Vizag Open