Chikka fires 68 to take three-stroke lead at TAKE Open Golf

Reigning Rolex Ranking champion Chikkarangappa S of Bengaluru fired an unyielding four-under 68 in round three to grab a three-stroke lead at the Rs one crore TAKE Open Golf Championship here today.
Chikkarangappa's (69-67-68) brilliant third round effort took his three-day total to 12-under-204 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course here.
Noida's Gaurav Pratap Singh (68) and Panchkula's Shubhankar Sharma (70) were tied for the second place at nine-under 207.
The 23-year-old was off to a terrific start on day three as he reeled off birdies on the first three holes. Chikka landed it within four feet for the second time during the day for another birdie on the sixth. However, a couple of erratic tee shots on the fourth and ninth resulted in bogeys and saw him make the turn at two-under.

Chikka consolidated his lead with a display of fine putting on the back-nine, nailing birdie putts from a range of 12 to 20 feet on the 11th, 12th and 17th. Although, the winner of nine titles stumbled with a bogey on the closing 18th after finding the hazard, he continues to be the overwhelming favourite going into the final round.
Chikka said, "I enjoyed a great start over the first three holes. Thereafter, my course management wasn't good. I kept putting myself under pressure trying to hit difficult shots, especially on the par-5s.

"Scoring on the par-5s used to be my strength but for the last few weeks I've not been able to capitalize on the par-5s. That's one issue I need to address immediately.

"I made some long putts today and missed a couple of short ones. I feel the long putts are easier to make here at KGA since your expectations are low. But the short ones that are there for the taking can be quite tricky since reading the greens is not easy here.
"I'm looking to improve on my tee shots in the final round since I missed a few fairways today but was lucky to not get into too much trouble," added Chikka.
Gaurav (67-72-68), improved from overnight tied 8th to tied 2nd as a result of his 68. Shubhankar (68-69-70) moved up one place from overnight 3rd to tied 2nd after a round of 70.

Among others, Delhi's Chiragh Kumar, Bengaluru's Rahil Gangjee and Sujjan Singh of Chandigarh ended day three in tied fourth place at eight-under-208.
Bengaluru amateur Jaibir Singh slipped from tied fourth to tied seventh after his third round of 71. Sri Lankan Anura Rohana too shot a 71 to join Jaibir in tied seventh place at seven-under-209.
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In-form Chawrasia and Bhullar, winners of two titles each on Asian Tour this year, will be the men to beat in the start-studded field of 64 golfers.
The duo is riding high on confidence ahead of the year-ending tournament of the PGTI having posted international wins just about a month back.

While Chawrasia achieved a major landmark by winning his first title outside India at the Resorts World Manila Masters in mid-November, Bhullar made it back-to-back titles for India the following week when he lifted the Indonesia Open trophy for the second time.
"I have some very positive vibes coming into the McLeod Russel Tour Championship as I won the first edition of the event back in 2012. It is an event that I eagerly await all year. It's also great to be back at RCGC as this is my home course and I began my golfing journey here," the local lad said.

"This has been one of my best years as a professional so far as I not only realised my childhood dream of winning the Indian Open, but also finally won my first event outside India after a long wait. So I'm eager to end the year on a high with another win here at RCGC."
Chawrasia will be playing his first round alongside Bhullar and Shiv Kapur.
Bhullar, who finished tied second at the 2014 edition of the event, rated this as one of my favourite golf courses in India.
"I'm raring to go as all the big names are here. I'd like to thank the sponsor McLeod Russel for giving me an invite and this opportunity to be here," Bhullar, who's making his fourth appearance, said.

Terming this as one of his best seasons, Bhullar said: "The last time I had two wins was in 2012. All the hard work has paid off. There was a great sense of achievement when I won in Korea for the first time with some of Asia's best golfers being part of the event. Winning the Indonesia Open for the second time was another special occasion."
"Hitting maximum fairways and holing putts will be the key this week. You have to give yourself chances on the greens here at RCGC.
Shubhankar Sharma, leading the Rolex Ranking in Order of Merit, will have a great opportunity along with Khalin Joshi, Rashid Khan and Honey Basioya to win the title.

Jyoti Randhawa has good memories from last year's McLeod Russel Tour Championship where he finished tied second.
"I've had a few good weeks in the run-up to this event. I put in a solid performance at the Asian Tour event in Delhi earlier this month where I claimed joint second place. I'm playing better with each week and looking to improve upon my short-game," he said.
"This course requires a good all round game. One needs to strike it well and also grab the opportunities on the greens."
The tournament will decide the Rolex Ranking champion.
At the moment, there is very little to separate the top five -- Shubhankar Sharma, Shamim Khan, Khalin Joshi, Rashid Khan and Honey Baisoya -- as there is just a gap of under Rs. 11 lakh between them.

Reigning Rolex Ranking champion Chikkarangappa, also the defending champion of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship, is placed sixth in the money list and also a top contender this week.
The winner takes home a prize purse of Rs 22,50,000.
The foreign challenge is being led by the Thai duo of Pariya Junhasavasdikul, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, and 18-year-old sensation Suradit Yoncharoenchai.