Ahmedabad, March 8 (IANS) Mohd Azhar of Vikarabad built a two-shot lead at a total score of nine-under 135 after he struck a steady two-under 70 in the third round of the Gujarat Open Golf Championship 2024, an INR 1 crore event being played at the Glade One Golf Resort & Club in Ahmedabad.
Karnal’s Mani Ram carded a 71 to be placed second at a total of seven-under 137.
The first two rounds of the event comprised nine holes each. The third and fourth rounds comprise 18 holes each. The tournament will be played over a total of 54 holes. The par for the course in the third and fourth rounds is 72. The 9-hole course was played twice in round three with different pin positions.
Mohd Azhar (34-31-70), the overnight leader by one shot, continued his fine putting form on Friday to produce a solid effort of two-under 70. The 24-year-old Azhar, who turned pro in 2020 and is searching for his maiden title, sank two mammoth putts from a range of 20 to 30 feet for birdies on the fourth and fifth.
Armed with a hot putter, Azhar added two more birdies with eight to 10-foot conversions on the eighth and 12th. Just when he was staring at a second successive error-free round, Azhar dropped a double-bogey on the closing 18th as a result of a poor tee shot and a three-putt.
Azhar said, “I had found my putting rhythm in round two. I just built on that today. I know I have a healthy lead but at the same time, I can’t afford to get complacent in the last round. It’s now about keeping my nerves, placing it well off the tees and avoiding the rough as much as I can in the final round.”
Mani Ram (33-33-71), who struggled with his hitting on day three, still managed five birdies against four bogeys for his 71. Chandigarh’s Jairaj Singh Sandhu (67) and Andorra’s Kevin Esteve Rigaill (70) were tied for third at six-under 138 after the penultimate round.
Among the prominent names in the field, Manu Gandas and Rashid Khan were both tied for ninth at two-under 142 and defending champion Aman Raj was tied for 29th at two-over 146. Ahmedabad’s Anshul Patel was the best-placed among the local golfers as he ended the day in tied 18th at even-par 144. Scotland’s Harvey McDonald, the only amateur to make the cut, was placed tied 34th at three-over 147.
Round 3 Leaderboard:
135: Mohd Azhar (34-31-70)
137: Mani Ram (33-33-71)
138: Jairaj Singh Sandhu (35-36-67); Kevin Esteve Rigaill (34-34-70).
–IANS
bsk/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
