By Rahul Banerji
Kshitij Naveed Kaul held on to a one-shot lead going into the final day of the Rs 40 lakh ICC RCGC Open Golf Championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Saturday.
With a day to go, Kaul, Angad Cheema and Ankur Chadha were well head of the chasing pack and separated by the narrowest of margins.
Delhi’s Kaul (69-65-70) turned in a dogged 2-under 70 on Saturday, the PGTI said.
The 20-year-old, halfway leader by two shots, managed to keep his nose ahead in round three with three birdies and a bogey that took his total to 12-under 204.
Panchkula’s Angad Cheema (68-68-69), second overnight, narrowed the gap to the leader to just one shot with a 69 that featured four birdies and a bogey.
Ankur Chadha (68-69-69) of Gurgaon, third at the halfway stage also shot a 69 that included five birdies and two bogeys to keep himself in the hunt.
While Kaul and Cheema are in search of their second title, Chadha will look to take a shot at his maiden title.
It was a steady start for Kaul as he made pars all the way till the 12th hole.
Strong comeback
He dropped a shot on 13 thanks to an error in club selection but came right back with birdies on 14, 15 and 16 thanks to his precise approach shots.
Kaul, who’s lone PGTI win came back in 2019, “I played very disciplined golf and stuck to my gameplan.
“I just hit it closer on the back nine for those birdies. Had good par saves on seven and 18 where I had some awkward chip shots but managed to land it within five feet on both occasions.
“Having Vicky (Shubhankar Sharma’s former caddie) on the bag over the last four events has also helped.
“Our thinking is very similar as we both are very aggressive and such matching thoughts is always an added advantage.”
Cheema, like Kaul, was also slow off the blocks on Saturday. He three-putted for bogey on the sixth before picking up his first birdie on 10.
He then kept pace with the leader with three more birdies on 15, 16 and 17, draining clutch putts from a range of eight to nine feet.
Cheema, who won his only previous title in his rookie season in 2013, said, “I was quite solid today even though I wasn’t hitting it close enough to set up birdie opportunities.
“But I made pars and kept myself in it. The birdie conversion on the 10th really got me going. The birdie on the 16th was also key as Kshitij was much closer to the flag than I was.
“At this course, you have to be on top of your game to score well and that’s what I’ll look to do in the final round.”
Rallying well
Chadha was one-over through the front nine but rallied with four birdies on the back nine to stay in title contention.
Sunit Chowrasia (71) was the best-placed Kolkata golfer in tied fourth on 6-under 210. Last week’s winner Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (72) of Chandigarh was alongside.
Greater Noida-based Arjun Sharma returned the day’s best card of 67 to be placed 15th on 2-under 214.
Defending champion Mithun Perera (73-73-74) of Sri Lanka was tied 32nd on 4-over 220.
After the completion of the Pro-Am on Wednesday with a professional being paired with two members of each amateur team competing, the Pro-Am Team Championship continued during the third round.
In this, a third member of each amateur team that played on Wednesday was paired alongside two other professionals.
On, the fourth member of each amateur team will be paired alongside two other professionals.
The main event will run concurrently with the Pro-Am on Saturday and Sunday with the winner decided on the basis of the cumulative scores of Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Also read: Kaul tops the pack with sublime 65 in ICC RCGC Open round 2
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