The Golconda Masters seems to be heading for a pulsating finale with three golfers, including Ajeetesh Sandhu, emerging as top contenders for the crown on the penultimate day of the event at the picturesque Hyderabad Golf Club (HGC).
While Chandigarh-lad Sandhu managed to hold on to his lead for the third consecutive day with a sizzling five-under 66 that took his total to 17-under-196, Gurgaon's Shubhankar Sharma and Kolkata's Feroz Ali Mollah were within striking distance at 16-under 197 and 15-under 198 respectively after they shot matching scores of six-under 65.
Sandhu (62-68-66), looking to break a three-year winless streak, carried a one-shot advantage into the final round of the Rs. 40 lakh event as he continued as the wire-to-wire leader.
Sandhu, leading by two at the halfway stage, had a shaky start to the third day as he found the water on the third that led to a bogey. The mild-mannered 27-year-old then rallied with six birdies, including four on the last five holes, to end the day ahead of the rest. He closed his round with a magnificent 25-feet birdie conversion on the 18th.
Shubhankar (66-66-65), the winner in Bengaluru last week, will be looking to make it back-to-back titles as he heads into the last day. The 19-year-old Sharma, began the day two off the pace, but was soon in the lead with two birdies on the first five holes even as overnight leader Ajeetesh dropped a stroke. Shubhankar holed two more birdies to hang on to his lead till the 12th.
The Asian Tour rookie's bogey on 13 pushed him down to second place. But Shubhankar came up with an eagle-two on the 15th and a 22-feet birdie conversion on the 18th to stay in touch with the leader.
The experienced Feroz Ali Mollah (68-65-65), the current Rolex Ranking leader, who won the season's opening event, two weeks back in Kochi, mixed an eagle and five birdies with a bogey to close the day two shots behind the leader.
The 46-year-old Mollah, a former Indian Open champion, fired an eagle-two on the 15th just like his playing partner Shubhankar Sharma after landing his drive five feet from the flag. He finally missed a long birdie putt on 18 by a whisker which would have given him a share of second place.
Bengaluru's Khalin Joshi carded a 65 to be placed fourth at 13-under-200. Defending champion Harendra Gupta (67) of Chandigarh was in 10th place at nine-under-204.
Udayan Mane's seven-under-64 was the day's best score. It placed the Bengaluru-based professional in 15th position at six-under-207.
