Local hero leads by two at Indian Open
ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
Delhi,
March 19: Home hero S S P Chawrasia produced a short- game masterclass
as he returned with a third round four-under-par 68 to hold a two-shot
lead at the Hero Indian Open today.
Chawrasia, a three-time Asian Tour winner, carded four birdies but it was a par save after finding thick bushes on the 12th hole which earned him the biggest applause as leads the chasing pack on
14-under-par 202.
Overnight
leader Terry Pilkadaris of Australia, searching for a first win since
2005, posted a disappointing 73 to lie in second place at the US$1.66
million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European
Tour.
Reigning
Asian Tour number one and title holder Anirban Lahiri of India charged
into contention with a flawless 67 to tie in third place alongside
countryman Rashid Khan (69) on 206s to trail by four shots.
Chawrasia,
a four-time runner-up at the Hero Indian Open, turned in 32 before
holding his nerve to sink a clutch 14-foot par putt on the 10th hole.
With
Pilkadaris trailing closely, the 38-year-old Chawrasia found trouble on
hole 12 when his tee shot landed in thick and thorny bushes. Standing in
an awkward position, he calmly chipped out to safety and
holed out to save par from the edge of the green.
“On
the 10th and 12th holes I had to make saves. I think on the 12th I was
very lucky to make a chip to make a par. It felt great to see the ball
going into the hole. It helped me to hold the score. Those
two holes made a lot of difference,” Chawrasia smiled.
“I
have played here at the Delhi Golf Club quite few times. So, I know how
to play here. Honestly, the Hero Indian Open is a very important
tournament for me and for sure I want to win it because I have finished
second over here four times,” he added.
Pilkadaris, a three-time Asian Tour winner, rolled in a clutch par putt on the 17th hole to stay in the title hunt. He praised playing partner Chawrasia for his impressive short game performance.
“That’s
golf, that’s the beauty of the game. One day it is good and one day it
is off. There were a couple of big momentum changes. On number 10,
S.S.P. was all over the place and I thought I got a chance,
I got a 15 footer for birdie and he got a 14 footer for par, I missed
mine and he holes his.
“He
got into trouble on 12 but what a fantastic chip shot to hole that. He
putted well. He putted fantastic. I see Anirban Lahiri is lurking. There
will be a few people popping up. I just need to worry about
my game and try to do the best I can,” said Pilkadaris.
Lahiri, ranked 52nd
in the world, will be aiming to repeat last year’s heroics where he
fought back from seven shots down to defeat Chawrasia on the first
play-off hole.
“I
have a chance. This is Delhi Golf Club and pressure does funny things
to people out here. I can’t control the weather or how anybody is
playing. I’m happy with how I played today so hopefully I can back
it up with a better final round,” said Lahiri, a seven-time Asian Tour
winner.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERS
par 216 (3x72) Yardage: 6,983
202 - S.S.P. CHAWRASIA (IND) 67-67-68.
204 - Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) 67-64-73.
206 - Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 68-71-67, Rashid KHAN (IND) 69-68-69.
207 -
Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 69-72-66, Jeunghun WANG (KOR) 67-74-66, Sebastien
GROS (FRA) 69-70-68, Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 72-66-69.
208
- Arjun ATWAL (IND) 70-71-67, Thangaraja N. (SRI) 69-71-68, Julien
QUESNE (FRA) 70-68-70, Alejandro CANIZARES (ESP) 68-69-71, Jorge
CAMPILLO (ESP) 66-71-71.
209
- Richard McEVOY (ENG) 71-70-68, Daniel IM (USA) 65-74-70, Maximilian
KIEFFER (GER) 69-70-70, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 72-67-70, Gregory HAVRET (FRA)
68-70-71.
210 - Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 71-69-70.
211
- Scott HEND (AUS) 72-71-68, Scott JAMIESON (SCO) 73-69-69, Richard T.
LEE (CAN) 73-69-69, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 72-69-70, Angelo QUE (PHI)
70-71-70, Paul DUNNE (IRL) 74-66-71, Sanjay KUMAR (IND) 67-72-72,
David LIPSKY (USA) 69-67-75.
212
- Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 76-66-70, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 70-71-71, Jbe
KRUGER (RSA) 71-70-71, Daniel BROOKS (ENG) 71-70-71, Danny CHIA (MAS)
70-71-71, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 68-72-72.
SELECTED SCORES
213 Peter Uihlein (USA) 72 68 73 (T34)
217 Craig Lee (Scotland) 70 70 77 (T62)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: ASIAN TOUR
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home