Thakran grabs sole lead at Coimbatore, Chouhan, Anand in chase

By Rahul Banerji

Manish Thakran kindled hopes of a maiden title with a hard-fought round that gave him a two-shot lead on the penultimate day of the Rs. 1 crore Coimbatore Open on Thursday.

The Gurgaon golfer’s 2 under par 70 gave him a 12-under 204 total in the event presented by KGiSL at Coimbatore Golf Club, the PGTI said.

Giving chase on the final day will be Tata Steel PGTI Rankings leader Om Prakash Chouhan (68) and Bangalore-based rookie Aryan Roopa Anand (72), both on 10-under 206.

Thakran (68-66-70), one of the three joint halfway leaders, struggled initially with the putter that gave him an early bogey but the 27-year-old also made the most of his birdie opportunities on holes six, 10 and 15 to keep his nose in front of the rest.

Thakran, who played basketball, football, volleyball, and table tennis competitively during his school days before taking to golf at the age of 18, sank a 15-footer on 10 and landed his bunker shot close to the pin on 15.

And as the wind picked up on his last three holes, Thakran negotiated the conditions well to walk away with pars.

Calmer conditions

Manish, who refers to the 2-Iron as his ‘go-to club’, said, “The conditions were a lot calmer today as compared to round two but my putting wasn’t as good as the last two days so that affected my scoring.

“But I’m happy to have grinded it out today and that has put me in a great position ahead of the final round.  

“Om Prakash and Aryan have had a good run this year, but I’ll not be thinking too much about that and instead will just look to enjoy myself on the last day and play without any expectations like I’ve done so far this week.

“Importantly, I’ll be playing at the same time tomorrow so I know what to expect when it comes to the wind and the course conditions.

“The first two holes will be crucial as the first has a small green while the second has a narrow fairway,” added Thakran, who plays at the Classic Golf Resort.

Wise head

Chouhan (67-71-68), winner of a Challenge Tour and PGTI co-sanctioned event in Bangalore this year, is the most experienced hand and the only tournament winner among the top 5 on the leaderboard.

The Gujarat-based golfer had six birdies and two bogeys to jump four places into tied second as he announced himself as one of the top contenders in the race for the title.

Interestingly, the 37-year-old was runner-up at a PGTI event in Coimbatore in 2014. He will now look to go one better.

Anand (66-68-72), who was part of the joint lead over the first two days, slipped to tied second following his 72 on Thursday.

Delhi-based players Saptak Talwar (72) and Harshjeet Singh Sethie (72) continued in fourth and fifth places, respectively, with nine-under 207 and eight-under 208 totals.  

Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja, joint leader in the first two rounds, dropped out of the lead for the first time with a 75 on day three.

The experienced golfer was tied sixth on 7-under 209 along with Bangalore’s Mari Muthu R. (68).

Round 3 leaders

204: Manish Thakran (68-66-70)

206: Om Prakash Chouhan (67-71-68); Aryan Roopa Anand (66-68-72)

207: Saptak Talwar (66-69-72)

208: Harshjeet Singh Sethie (69-67-72)

Also read: Thakran holds halfway lead in Coimbatore with Anand, Thanga