Jamal Hossain will look to close out a start-to-finish win at the Telangana Golconda Masters after opening up a four-stroke lead over the field on Moving Day at the HGA course in Hyderabad on Thursday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Pace-setter Jamal Hossain dominated the third round to open up a four-shot lead on Moving Day in the Rs 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters in Hyderabad.
Having led from the outset, the Dhaka golfer is looking well set for his first win of the season, the PGTI said.
Hossain (61-62-64), who enjoyed a three-shot advantage at the halfway stage, extended his lead with a 6 under par 64 on Thursday that took his total to 23 under 187.
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (62-64-65) returned a 65 to stay in second place for the third day on 19 under 291 on the week’s most breezy day which also saw a light drizzle in the last 30 minutes of play.
Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi (65-66-66) climbed to third on 13 under 197 while Shaurya Bhattacharya of Delhi and Gurgaon’s Manu Gandas shot 64s to share fourth place on 12 under 198.
Delhi’s Arjun Prasad, currently second on the PGTI’s merit list, shot a second consecutive 65 to rise two places to sixth on 11 under 199.
Chandigarh golfer Vishav Pratap Singh Gill produced the day’s best of 63 to move up 28 spots to seventh on 9 under 201.
Hyderabad’s Vishesh Sharma (67) was the best-placed among the local golfers in tied 22nd on 5 under 205.
Lone error
Hossain, a five-time PGTI winner who was bogey-free in the first two rounds, continued his fine form on Thursday by picking up seven birdies against a lone dropped shot.
His four birdies over the first eight holes included a conversion each from 25 feet and 40 feet.
Hossain’s first bogey of the tournament came on hole nine from an errant tee shot. He came roaring back with three more birdies thereafter, including driving the green on the Par-4 14th.
“I hit a lot of greens in regulation today as my tee shots and approach shots were spot on.,” Hossain said later
“I managed to keep the errors out of my game for a third straight day with the bogey on the ninth being the only exception. I’m proud of my effort because it was quite a windy day today.
“It’s now about carrying forward this rhythm into the final day and focusing on what I’ve done well so far this week.
“I’ve been a runner-up twice this season so I’ve learnt from the mistakes I made on those occasions and hopefully that should stand me in good stead,” he added.
Akshay Sharma’s flawless 65 on Thursday meant he was Hossain’s closest pursuer, leaving daylight between the top two and the rest.
Also read: Hossain opens three-shot lead at HGA as Yadav fires historic ace
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