Randhawa to tee off for a hat-trick

NEW DELHI, October 13: He is one of India's ace golfers. He has shown consistent form at the European Tour this year. And keeping a good show intact, the 35-year-old golfer could become the first player since Australian Peter Thompson to clinch a rare third title at the $5,00,000 Indian Open. Jyoti Randhawa fired a sizzling five-under 67 to be at joint lead after round three at the Indian Open on Saturday at the Delhi Golf Club.
The defending champion is currently atop the leaderboard with Thailand's rising star Chapchai Nirat on 10-under 206. Considering that Nirat scored 66 and 67 on the first two days, the Thai golfer was a little off the track on Saturday as he carded one-over 73.
Randhawa has been improving on his score with every passing day. And on the penultimate day, he played excellent golf in his back nine.
"I think it was my day. Coming from Europe, I was a little jet-lagged but now I'm more at home," Randhawa said.
The European tour regular, who always carries a relaxed attitude, is happy to be tied for the top slot. And Randhawa's plan for the final day remains unchanged.
"It will remain the same. I have to maintain my focus, play shot by shot and forget about everything else."
The man who can pose a threat to Randhawa's title defense is his Indian competitor Gaurav Ghei. Hunting for his maiden title at the Indian Open, the 39-year-old golfer would ensure that he shoots a good round to win the tournament.
Ghei, who carded two-under 70 to total seven-under 209 and finish fourth, is content with his performance on the Delhi greens.
"The first day was excellent. Yesterday and today have been average. But I am pleasantly surprised to be still in the chance. So no complaints," Ghei said.
"Well, I hope to. But obviously I have got two very strong contenders in front of me Jyoti and Chapchai, and it's not going to be easy. But you know I am going to go out there and give it my best and see what happens," Ghei said.
Meanwhile, Jeev Milkha Singh is still struggling with a longed-for National Open win. Although Jeev scored one-under 71 at the end of third round, his total aggregate of one-over 217 puts him at tied 38th.
"Yes, I have played well today. I think the best round out of the three rounds is my third round. But overall I would rate it as just average. Nothing great," Jeev said.
With Randhawa and Ghei being two strong contenders to clinch the title this year, fans would be hoping that at the end of the final day an Indian should be embracing the silver trophy.
Men who made a mark
Amidst the big guns getting all the media attention, two golfers played an amazing game on the penultimate day.
Mark Brown of New Zealand carded a brilliant 8-under par 64 to make his mark on day three. Although he struggled the first two days, he put up a great show in round three.
"It was kind of weird. The first two days, I was struggling on the greens and didn't make anything. I came out today and I holed out almost everything that it almost got to an embarrassing stage," Brown said.
The other star performer of the day was Uttam Singh Mundy. He took everyone by surprise when he shot an albatross on the par-five, 545-yard 18th hole during his round of 68.
"I hit a good drive and had 262 yards to the hole. I hit a three wood which pitched on the green and started tracking towards the hole. I saw it heading towards the flag and I was saying get close, get close and before I knew it, I was saying get in the hole," Mundy said.
"And then it hit the flag stick, stayed up for a couple of seconds before it dropped in," added Mundy.
Ghei too appreciated the sensational play by Mundy.
"That's great thing for Uttam. He's had a few tough times recently and I am so glad that he has come out and done something great," Ghei said.
Leaderboard after Round 3:
1. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) -10 (206)
1. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) -10 (206)
3. Mark BROWN (NZL) -9 (207)
4. Gaurav GHEI (IND) -7 (209)
5. David GLEESON (AUS) -6 (210)
5. CHANG Tse-peng (TPE) -6 (210)
5. LU Wen-teh (TPE) -6 (210)