Kolkata's Rahil Gangjee and Mukesh Kumar of Mhow hold a one-shot lead going into the final round of the PGTI Cochin Masters presented by CIAL Golf & Country Club.
Gangjee and Kumar shot scores of 65 and 66 in round three to be joint leaders at eight-under-208. Sri Lankan Anura Rohana returned the tournament's best score of eight-under-64 to be tied third along with Kapurthala's Gaganjeet Bhullar at seven-under-209.
Gangjee (72-71-65) made his way up to the top of the pack from overnight tied sixth position after a brilliant seven-under-65.
Gangjee, a former winner on the Asian Tour, made an early charge with birdies on the first three holes. The 36-year-old almost holed out his tee shot on the par-3 third where the ball stopped inches from the pin.
Gangjee added three more birdies to his card before the eagle on the 16th where he hit an immaculate approach shot around the bushes to land it within 10 feet. He closed with a bogey on the last hole.
"I made maximum use of the par-5s today as I was five-under on the four par-5s with three birdies and an eagle. I hit some good approach shots and landed it within 10 feet on a lot of occasions and also converted those putts. The conditions were relatively easier on day three as the wind wasn't a factor," Gangjee said.
"My best shot of the day was probably the cut shot around a small bush on the 16th that set up the 10 feet eagle putt. I've missed three cuts in a row but I'm looking forward to a top finish this week," he said.
