Md Siddikur Rahman
Sujjan Singh
Dhaka, April 1, 2016: A fascinating
Indo-Bangladeshi contest is set to unfold in the final round of the BTI
Open on Saturday at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka .
Udayan Mane (12-under-204) and Deepinder Singh Kullar
(10-under-206) occupied third and fourth place respectively and ensured a
strong Indian presence at the top.
Sujjan Singh (69-68-65), lying fifth and three off the lead
after the second round, came out firing on all cylinders in round three as he
knocked down five birdies on the first 10 holes.
The Chandigarh
lad, a winner of three titles including one on the Asian Development Tour,
suffered a minor blip on the 13th where he dropped his only shot of the
day. The 36-year-old however, rallied with three consecutive birdies from the
15th through the 17th to end the round with a flourish.
Sujjan, who shot the best score of round three, said, “I
struck it well today and also converted as many as four birdie putts from about
15 to 20 feet. I’ve made three consecutive birdies on four occasions so far
this week.
“I didn’t play too well at the Indian Open and as a result
made a few changes in my swing. I feel those changes are now shaping up well
and producing the desired results. I’ll have to be at the top of my game to
outscore Siddikur in the final round. He will have the advantage of the local
support. Udayan will also be one to watch out for as he has been playing well
of late. I’ll give it my best shot.”
Md Siddikur Rahman (66-70-66), who was tied third after the
second round, produced a bogey-free 66 in round three, to share the lead with
Sujjan at the end of the day. Two-time Asian Tour winner, Siddikur, goes into
the final round as the favourite as he is playing in his backyard, the
Kurmitola Golf Club (KGC).
“I’ve not had a great first few months in 2016. I’ll look to
turn it around here with a good final round. It’ll be highly satisfying to win
in front of my home crowd once again. I have the advantage of local knowledge
here but Sujjan and Udayan are also in good form and therefore would provide
tough competition on the final day,” said Siddikur.
Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane (67-68-69) dropped from second place
in round two to third place after his third round of 69 that included four
birdies and a bogey.
Gurgaon’s Deepinder Singh Kullar (68-70-68) sank an eagle,
four birdies and two bogeys during his third round of 68 to be placed fourth,
four behind the leaders.
The Bangladeshi duo of second round leader Md Sajib Ali and
Md Dulal Hossain occupied tied fifth place at nine-under-207.
Earlier in the day, the 57 players who couldn’t complete
their second round on Thursday due to the weather delay, resumed
their unfinished rounds. Once the second round was completed, the cut was
declared at three-over-147. Fifty-six professionals and one amateur made the
cut. Bangladesh ’s Md Sajib
Ali was the round two leader at 10-under-134 while India ’s Udayan Mane was a stroke
behind in second place.
PGTI Press release
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