Shubhankar and Gaganjeet shoot 67 as Jordan Smith leads at Galgorm

Jordan Smith helped himself to a one shot lead over David Horsey with a 65 in the third round of ISPS Handa World Invitational

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Jordan Smith - European Tour - Getty Images

31 July 2021: Jordan Smith carded a five under third round 65 to earn a one-stroke advantage over David Horsey heading into the final day of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management. Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar moved inside the top 30 with a 67 on their cards on Saturday. Ajeetesh Sandhu shot 72 and at even par, he is four strokes behind his compatriots.

Gaganjeet Bhullar - European Tour - Getty Images
Gaganjeet Bhullar (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

Sandhu made two birdies in the third round, but conceded four bogeys to reach Sunday at an even 210.

Bhullar made four birdies for a second straight 67 that helped him move to T27 at four-under 206. He is tied with Shubhankar, who fired an eagle on the second and two other birdies for his 67.

The English duo will battle it out in the final group on Sunday, both hoping to bridge sizeable gaps since their last respective European Tour victories. It is almost four years to the day since Smith claimed his maiden title at the Porsche European Open, while Horsey’s fourth and most recent win came at the 2015 Made in Denmark.

Galgorm has certainly been a happy hunting ground for Smith, who opened his week with an eight under 62 at the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open host venue. His bogey-free 65 on day three means he is 13 under par across his two rounds at Galgorm, with his 15 under total moving him one clear at the top.

“I’m just loving the course. Today we didn’t really do so much at all; the putter saved me quite a few times, so hopefully it can do that tomorrow if needed to,” said Smith.

“I’m really pleased. I made some changes at the end of last year. There’s been a lot of work, a lot of getting used to it and stuff, so it’s nice to see it paying off finally.

“I’ve done it before so I can do it again, I guess. That’s one way of looking at it. I mean, I’ve been playing well around here for the two days that we’ve been here, and I’m feeling good, swing is feeling good, so yeah, we’ll see how it goes.”

Horsey, meanwhile, has improved his score day-by-day, starting the week with a 67 at Galgorm, following that up with a 65 at Massereene Golf Club before a six under 64 on day three at Galgorm – which included his first bogey of the week at the sixth – moved him to outright second place on 14 under par.

“I didn’t play great, to be honest. Didn’t hit it in the fairway enough on the back nine but holed some nice putts, and that’s what you’ve got to do. At the end of the day it’s all about scoring and I managed to post a good one today,” said Horsey

“I didn’t think about it to start, to be honest, but when I made that bogey I did think, oh, yeah, that is my first one.
“But put it to the back in my mind and birdied the next, and just sort of cracked on. Sometimes those things are nice to get out of the way, if you like, and you can just get on without any distractions.

“I get on well with Smithy, and it was nice to sort of see both of us really making plenty of birdies, which is nice. This golf course is quite tricky. There was a bit of breeze out there today, but there’s plenty of birdies out there, so hopefully we can continue it tomorrow. This is the place to be if you like, and to have a chance to win come Sunday is always nice. Go and play golf tomorrow, see what happens, and hopefully can do enough.”

The pair will face off in the final round of the men’s event at Galgorm alongside their playing partner, second round leader Daniel Hillier, who is the closest challenger on 11 under par. Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Darius Van Driel of the Netherlands are a shot further back on 10 under.

The women’s event is also set for a thrilling finale as three players share the lead heading into the final round at Galgorm. Pajaree Annanarukarn of Thailand was joined on 13 under by American duo Jennifer Kupcho and Emma Talley and they will tee it up together in the final group, all chasing their maiden LPGA Tour victories.

 

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