Date:21/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092155971600.htm

Sport - Golf

Randhawa in lead

Sports Reporter

Rain delayed the start of the third day’s play

GURGAON: His focus was not fully there but Jyoti Randhawa banked on his experience as he displaced Gaganjeet Bhullar from the top of the leader board to take a two-stroke lead at the end of the third round in the DLF Masters golf tournament here on Saturday.

Rain delayed the start of the third day’s play by four hours and the wet course played tough despite the sun shinning brightly in the afternoon.

On another day when the going was not so smooth, Randhawa carded a three-under 69 for a three-round aggregate of seven-under 209. Shamim Khan and Bhullar shared the second place at 211.

Randhawa started with a bogey on the first hole and dropped another shot on the fourth before peaking to garner three birdies – on sixth, 10th and 11th – and an eagle on the ninth. Later, despite good shots, he missed chances for birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes.

“My game was better yesterday. I lost my focus; I should have got more birdies. The way I played today, somebody else would have been the leader. But it was a satisfying round. Managing a bad game is better than falling on a good one,” Randhawa said after completing the round.

Out of luck

Bhullar, who sank three birdies, on the sixth, 10th and 18th holes, ran out of luck to have a double bogey on the 17th and a bogey on the 13th and ended up with his second consecutive even par round. He missed easy putts on the ninth, 14th and 15th.

“I saved two shots on the first two holes. I was unlucky on 12th and 17th. The course is playing really tough, especially the roughs. My swing was good, but it was rolling to the roughs. Hopefully, the weather will be better tomorrow,” said Bhullar, who is yet to win a professional tour title.

The other notable performance came from Shamim Khan, who matched Randhawa’s score of three-under 69 that kept him in title contention.

He had four birdies, on the second, sixth, eighth and ninth while going out and two more on the back nine, on the 15th and 18th. Bogeys on the seventh, 12th and 13th spoilt his card.

The trio of Arjun Singh, Shamim Khan and amateur Anuj Sood carded a net score of 132 to win the team championship.

The scores: Jyoti Randhawa (72, 68, 69) 209; Shamim Khan (72, 70, 69) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (67, 72, 72) 211; Arjun Singh (71, 72, 70) 213; Mukesh Kumar (772, 72, 70) 214; Ashok Kumar (72, 73, 70) 215; Karanjit Singh Sandhu (73, 72, 71) 216; C. Muniyappa (72, 72, 74) and Harmeet Kahlon (68, 76, 74) 218.