M Dharma who shot the day's best score in round 3 of the
McLeod Russel Tour Championship. He is overall tied second.
Kolkata, November 30, 2012: Delhi ’s Shamim Khan raised his title hopes at
the McLeod Russel Tour Championship after posting a three-under-69 in the
penultimate round at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Friday. Shamim is
now three shots clear of the rest of the field with an overall score of
nine-under-207. There is a three-way tie for second place between M Dharma of
Bangalore, Chandigarh ’s
Abhijit Singh Chadha and Mukesh Kumar of Mhow at six-under-210.
Shamim Khan (70-68-69), the overnight leader by one stroke, had a solid start to the day as he made pars on the first three holes. He then increased his lead by collecting birdies on the fourth, sixth and eighth to make the turn at three-under for the day. On the sixth, his outstanding approach shot landed within a foot of the pin while on the eighth he knocked down a 25-footer.
The 34-year-old Shamim, who has recorded the most number of wins (three) and maximum top-10s (17) amongst all the professionals in the current season, continued to impress with the putter on the back-nine as he converted a 15-feet birdie putt on the 10th. Khan stumbled with a double bogey on the 12th where his tee shot hit a tree and landed in the rough. The leader came up with a glorious tee shot on the very next hole (13th) where he missed a hole-in-one by a whisker. Shamim’s birdie on the 13th allowed him a three-shot cushion at the top of the leaderboard.
The professional from the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) has now emerged as the favourite for the Rolex Rankings crown as he is currently seven shots clear of the other top contender for the crown, fellow DGC professional Rashid Khan.
“My iron shots were top-class today and so was my putting. I landed it within a foot of the pin on two occasions. I came up with an excellent tee shot on the 13th to put behind the disappointment of the double bogey on the 12th. The birdie on the 13th was the highlight of my round.
“I will focus on my driving in the final round. I’m also a bit wary of the third hole since it has a tough layout. I bogeyed the third in the first two rounds and made par today. It’s been a fantastic season for me so far and I’d like to end it on a high,” said Shamim, who has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGTI in the last few years.
M Dharma (72-71-67) shot the day’s joint best score of 67 to climbfrom overnight tied ninth to tied second place. The 26-year-old Bangalorean sank three birdies on the first four holes, dropped a bogey on the ninth and closed with three more birdies on the last four holes.
Dharma, whose best finish in a professional event has been third, said, “I putted really well from a range of seven to 12 feet today. I also made some great recoveries from tough situations. My ball landed in the trees on the 16th but I managed to land my second shot from there within 12 feet of the flag. This has been my best season since turning professional as I have claimed two top-10s this year. I’m quite excited about playing in the final day’s leader group for the first time.”
Abhijit Singh Chadha’s (74-67-69) round of 69 helped him climb from overnight tied third to joint second. His round featured five birdies and two bogeys.
Mukesh Kumar (68-71-71) was also tied second after he carded a quiet 71 which included three birdies and two bogeys. The man from Mhow, one of the giants of Indian golf, is the only player besides Shamim who has so far shot three sub-par rounds this week.
Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia shares fifth place with Vijay Kumar ofLucknow and Sri Lankan Mithun Perera at
five-under-211.
Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan is in joint eighth position at two-under-214 along with Shankar Das of Kolkata and Abhinav Lohan ofFaridabad .
Jyoti Randhawa, Anirban Lahiri,Delhi golfer
Manav Jaini and Patna ’s
Md Islam share 11th position at one-under-215. Md Islam’s 67 was the joint best
score of the day along with Dharma’s round.
Shamim Khan (70-68-69), the overnight leader by one stroke, had a solid start to the day as he made pars on the first three holes. He then increased his lead by collecting birdies on the fourth, sixth and eighth to make the turn at three-under for the day. On the sixth, his outstanding approach shot landed within a foot of the pin while on the eighth he knocked down a 25-footer.
The 34-year-old Shamim, who has recorded the most number of wins (three) and maximum top-10s (17) amongst all the professionals in the current season, continued to impress with the putter on the back-nine as he converted a 15-feet birdie putt on the 10th. Khan stumbled with a double bogey on the 12th where his tee shot hit a tree and landed in the rough. The leader came up with a glorious tee shot on the very next hole (13th) where he missed a hole-in-one by a whisker. Shamim’s birdie on the 13th allowed him a three-shot cushion at the top of the leaderboard.
The professional from the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) has now emerged as the favourite for the Rolex Rankings crown as he is currently seven shots clear of the other top contender for the crown, fellow DGC professional Rashid Khan.
“My iron shots were top-class today and so was my putting. I landed it within a foot of the pin on two occasions. I came up with an excellent tee shot on the 13th to put behind the disappointment of the double bogey on the 12th. The birdie on the 13th was the highlight of my round.
“I will focus on my driving in the final round. I’m also a bit wary of the third hole since it has a tough layout. I bogeyed the third in the first two rounds and made par today. It’s been a fantastic season for me so far and I’d like to end it on a high,” said Shamim, who has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGTI in the last few years.
M Dharma (72-71-67) shot the day’s joint best score of 67 to climbfrom overnight tied ninth to tied second place. The 26-year-old Bangalorean sank three birdies on the first four holes, dropped a bogey on the ninth and closed with three more birdies on the last four holes.
Dharma, whose best finish in a professional event has been third, said, “I putted really well from a range of seven to 12 feet today. I also made some great recoveries from tough situations. My ball landed in the trees on the 16th but I managed to land my second shot from there within 12 feet of the flag. This has been my best season since turning professional as I have claimed two top-10s this year. I’m quite excited about playing in the final day’s leader group for the first time.”
Abhijit Singh Chadha’s (74-67-69) round of 69 helped him climb from overnight tied third to joint second. His round featured five birdies and two bogeys.
Mukesh Kumar (68-71-71) was also tied second after he carded a quiet 71 which included three birdies and two bogeys. The man from Mhow, one of the giants of Indian golf, is the only player besides Shamim who has so far shot three sub-par rounds this week.
Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia shares fifth place with Vijay Kumar of
Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan is in joint eighth position at two-under-214 along with Shankar Das of Kolkata and Abhinav Lohan of
Jyoti Randhawa, Anirban Lahiri,
Press release
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