Sachin  regains sole lead in round three of TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship

Harpal Singh Bedi

Displaying remarkable consistency  for the third successive  day, Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya  regained sole top position  as  he  got into a two-shot lead with a five-under 65 penultimate fround card  of the Rs. 1 crore TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship at the  Tollygunge  golf Club,  here on Thrusday.

 Sachin  searching for his maiden title, has three round aggregate of 15-under 195 . .

Delhi-based Harsh Gangwar, the overnight joint leader  slipped to second place with a round of 67  but stayed in hunt for a title, with a total of  13-under 197.

US-based rookie Varun Chopra, playing his first event as a pro on the PGTI  was placed third at 12-under 198 following his round of 65 .

Sachin  (64-66-65), who has been in the lead since the start of the event, was on a roll after he sank a 25-feet birdie on the first hole. The 27-year-old Sachin went on to pick up three more shots till the 10^th.

He bogeyed  on the 12^{th but that}  didn’t derail his round as he quickly regained ground with a chip-in birdie on the 14^th followed by a 20-feet birdie putt on the 16^th. He  closed out the round with two good par saves on the 17^th and 18^th.

“My confidence soared after a great tee shot and a long conversion resulted in a birdie on the first hole. I was in good rhythm thereafter on the front-nine. On the back-nine, the chip-in on the 14^th got me going. I then made some terrific par saves from tough positions that helped me close the round on a positive note.”said the leader

Harsh  (66-64-67) was four-under through the front-nine after making an eagle, three birdies and a bogey. The 25-year-old Harsh chipped-in from the bunker for a birdie on the fifth and drained a 25-footer for eagle on the seventh.

However, after his double-bogey on the 10^th, the birdies dried up for Gangwar as his ball-striking was not as accurate. Harsh could only pick up a stroke on the 15^th.

Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (67) and Patna’s Aman Raj (68) kept themselves in contention as they were tied fourth at 11-under 199. Defending champion Yuvraj  Sandhu (67) moved into tied 25^th at four-under 206.

Kolkata’s Sandeep Yadav (68), the lone amateur to make the cut, was a further shot back in tied 31^st place.  Raju Ali Mollah (69), the only local professional to make the cut, was tied 35^th at two-under 208 along with Udayan Mane (72).