Shamim Khan
Pune, June 27, 2013: Shamim Khan of Delhi carded a resolute
four-under-68 to emerge leader in round three of the PGTI Players Championship
being played at the Oxford Golf & Country Club in Pune. Shamim’s total
moved to 10-under-206 after his superb third round effort. Rahil Gangjee of
Kolkata returned the day’s best score of five-under-67 to be placed second.
Gangjee is now breathing down Shamim’s neck with a nine-under-207 total.
Shamim Khan (71-67-68), who was overnight tied third and one
stroke off the lead, earned successive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to
make a move up the leaderboard. The 35-year-old reigning Rolex Rankings
champion sank a 40-feet birdie putt on the fifth. A poor chip resulted in a
bogey for Shamim on the seventh but he picked up a birdie on the ninth to make
the turn at two-under.
Shamim’s back-nine featured a chip-in for birdie on the
13th, two birdie conversions from a range of 12 to 15 feet on the 14th and
17th as well as a birdie on the closing 18th. The professional from the
Delhi Golf Club also dropped bogeys on the 11th and 15th as a result
of a couple of three-putts. He thus ended up with seven birdies and three
bogeys.
“I had a steady first round but my game picked up from round
two onwards. I’ve been putting much better and have also hit my irons closer
over the last two days as compared to round one. I rate the sixth as a very
tough hole since one can’t sight the fairway from the tee and the green is also
very tight. I was therefore delighted to make a birdie on the sixth today. I’ve
not been finishing my rounds well in the last few events. But I feel I’ve
managed to improve that aspect of my game this week,” said Shamim, a winner of
nine professional titles.
Rahil Gangjee (72-68-67), climbed from overnight tied eighth
to second place after shooting the day’s best score of 67. Gangjee’s eventful
round included seven birdies against two bogeys. Rahil, a former winner on the
Asian Tour, rolled in birdie putts from 40 and 20 feet on the seventh and
17th respectively. The 34-year-old landed his approach shots within five
feet to set up birdies on the first and 18th and also produced two
excellent chip-putts for birdies on the fourth and 11th. His two bogeys on the
sixth and eighth were a result of three-putts on both occasions.
Gangjee said, “I’ve gotten to know this course more with
each passing round and have accordingly adjusted my game. I now have a better
understanding of the green speed and the distance the ball carries in the air.
This in turn has helped me play better. My putting stroke was also a lot
smoother than the previous two rounds.”
Kolkata’s Shankar Das (67-70-71), the overnight joint
leader, slipped to third place after returning a 71 on Thursday. His total
stands at eight-under-208.
Anirban Lahiri (70-68-71) of Bengaluru is in fourth place at
seven-under-209. Sri Lankan Mithun Perera (70-70-70) is a further stroke back
in fifth position.
Moinuddin Malak (77-69-72), with a total score of
two-over-218, is currently the highest-placed Pune golfer. He is placed tied
32nd.
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