By Rahul Banerji
Yashas Chandra grabbed the limelight in round three of the Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship to move into the lead with the day’s best score of 7-under-65 at the Panchkula Golf Club on Thursday.
The 24-year-old from Mysore, playing only his second season as a professional, gained 11 places from his overnight tied 12th to go one clear of the field at 10-under-206 even as 22-year-old rookie Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (71) of Chandigarh hung on to his overnight second place at 9-under-207.
On Friday, there could well be a first-time titleist on the Tata Steel PGTI as neither Yashas nor Yuvraj have won on the tour before.
Another local player, Angad Cheema of Panchkula, who held the halfway lead, shot a 75 on Thursday to drop to tied fifth, three shots off the pace.
Good comeback
Chandra (67-74-65), currently eighth on the PGTI Order of Merit, had made a brilliant start to the week with a 67 that was punctuated with a record three eagles but dropped off the radar with an ordinary second round of 74 that had him seven shots behind the lead.
He was back in the mix on Friday with a 65 that featured nine birdies and a double-bogey.
Chandra, who has a runner-up finish already, said, “My ball-striking, bunker shots and putting were spot-on today. I had 15 greens in regulation and made 27 putts. The momentum has been building up well for me this year. I’m growing in confidence with each passing event.
“I’ve not been able to put four good rounds together with at least one poor round in all recent events. I want to improve that aspect of my game.
“It’s a tight leader-board so the final round will be all about staying patient. There are quite a few players in the leading pack who are capable of shooting a low number on the final day. The key for me would be to keep the errors out and also try to shoot a score of about four to five-under.”
Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh climbed from tied 12thto T3 thanks to an error-free 67 alongside Mukesh Kumar (71) of Mhow.
Delhi’s Rashid Khan (73) and Pune-based Udayan Mane (71) were T7 at 6-under-210.
Lahiri hopes to reverse fortunes
In Dallas, Anirban Lahiri is seeking to hold on to his PGA Tour card and needs a good performance at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Lahiri has been paired with South African Justin Harding, whose rise to world’s Top 50 has been spectacular. Harding was in the mix at the Masters for almost 54 holes before finishing a creditable T12 in his maiden appearance at Augusta National.
He made the field with little to spare in 48th place and with two weeks to go. Like Lahiri in 2015 and 2017, Harding is seeking a place in the President’s Cup and also hoping to get his full PGA Tour card for 2020. The third player alongside Lahiri and Harding will be John Senden,
Lahiri has just had one Top-10 this season and has time and again seemed to find form only to lose in the latter part of the week.
Also in the field are last year’s champion, Billy Horschel. Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth who join more than a dozen others from the world’s top 100 including Bryson DeChambeau, Si Woo Kim, Marc Leishman and Adam Scott.
Leaderboard AT&T Byron Nelson
Sharma, Bhullar set for British Masters
In Southport, Shubhankar Sharma got a taste of the windy and wet conditions at the pro-am in the Betfred British Masters, and then said he was relieved that the weather was going to be relatively better for the rest of the week.
Sharma, who has two European Tour titles, is one of the three Indians in the field this week alongside S.S.P. Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar.
“This course can be very tough in windy conditions like during the pro-am. I am told the weather will be better next few days,” said Sharma.
“I had a good outing with Anirban at the Zurich Classic on PGA Tour. We were 19-under and 20-under was Top 5, but then our putting did not go the way it should have and we ended T22.
“I spent some time in Manchester and London and I’m fresh this week. We have a string of big events and then the Open.” This is Sharma’s first appearance at the British Masters.
Chawrasia is playing the British Masters for only the second time after Newcastle in 2017, when he finished 66th.
Fifth local host
Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood looking forward to teeing it up in the town he grew up in as the European Tour returns to Hillside for the first time in 37 years.
The Englishman is acting as the fifth host of the British Masters since its return to the European Tour’s international schedule in 2015, following in the footsteps of Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood, and is welcoming the stars of the European Tour to his home town this week.
Fleetwood: “I’m very proud. It’s strange, especially the last two days, I’d say in driving in the car this morning, I feel way more nervous than a normal event, I don’t know why. It’s been a long process. The last year has come around really quick. I’m really happy with how it’s turned out so far.
“Everybody has been saying great things about the golf course. It’s nice to see faces again, like in Europe. I haven’t been around for a little while, seeing them, catching up, and thanking them for being here, but so far, so good.
“Everybody seems really happy and the tournament is running smoothly and I’ve done probably the least amount of anybody else, so well done to everybody so far. I’m very lucky, the people running the event have made it as simple and easy as possible.”
Also read: Rashid Khan takes round one lead at Players Championship
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