18 April 2019: An eagle at the par-5 14th hole helped S Chikkarangappa golf player stamp his authority in style as he moved into a share of the lead with C Muniyappa. The Bengaluru golfer shot a 67, the lowest effort in the third round, with five birdies and an eagle. Muniyappa is also at 13-under through 54 holes after posting a 68 on Thursday. The Delhi-NCR Open Golf Championship is set for a thrilling finish on Friday, with four men within three of each other.
After a 73 in the second round, Shankar Das put his house in order, with a spotless 68. Shankar had the only bogey-free card in the third round. Birdies at 8 & 9 helped the determined golfer make the turn with the wind behind his sails. He added two more at the fourteenth and eighteenth to bring home a satisfying 68.
Shamim Khan dropped into T3 alongside Shankar. He shot a 71 to end the day at 10-under 206, three strokes behind the leaders.
Md Zamal Hossain Mollah shot one of the six eagles on the day, one of the four that came at the 14th hole. He is lying in fifth place, a further three strokes behind Shamim and Shankar.
“I started well today as I hit some good tee shots, landed it close to the holes and made my putts on the front-nine. Then somehow I felt that I lost some momentum and energy from the eighth to the twelfth holes,” explained Chikka, who made four birdies in the first six holes.
“At that point, I told my caddie that I had to pick up at least three more birdies in the round. As it turned out, I earned an eagle and a birdie and thus achieved my target of gaining three shots.
“I’ve been in good form for some time now as every aspect of my game has been shaping up well since late last year. I’m also happy to see Muniyappa playing some solid golf. It’ll be a great contest tomorrow as both of us play a lot of practice rounds together back home in Bengaluru.”
Muniyappa retained a share of the lead through some late drame. He flew in from about 130 yards on the 18th, the ball rolling to a stop just a foot away from the cup, for a much needed par save. The 42-year-old is still searching for his first win since that memorable Indian Open victory in 2009.
“It’s good to be in the final day leadergroup after a long time. I’m very confident of my putting at the moment especially the long putts. That definitely gives me a good chance in the final round. I’ve waited very long for a win so I need to grab all the opportunities that come my way in round four.
“I look forward to playing alongside with my good friend Chikka for the second straight day. We’ve played a lot of golf together so there will be a healthy rivalry on the course.”
