JOIN USIt sure was an action-packed round with wholesome birdies and lot more of bogeys and the third round of 75 puts me in a lower half of the leaderboard with one more day to go in the Hero Indian Open.
The course has been great to look at but requires a lot of thought for each shot. And even then you can end up in wrong places, from where getting back into play is tough. It has been a rough two days battling stoppages and a course that was playing extremely tough, to put it mildly.
So after three rounds I am seven-over with rounds of 72, 76 and 75 and hopefully I can improve my position to somewhere in the 20s. A sub-70 could do that, but let’s see.
My World Cup partner SSP Chawrasia continues his love-affair with the Hero Indian Open. He is in contention for the fourth successive edition. He has a share of the lead alongside Eddie Pepperell and Carlos Pigem and SSP is on the threshold of a historic back-to-back win at the Indian Open, something which Jyoti Randhawa has done in the past.
SSP has been a treat to watch. He has single-mindedly stuck to the task of ensuring he stays out of trouble and hits straight and keeps giving himself chances.
The crucial aspect of his game has been that he has not given away many shots. I noticed that he has only three bogeys in three days so far. Birdies are a tough ask on this course, so to give away shots is heart-breaking to say the least.
SSP is now one-under through 11 holes in the third round and is six-under for the tournament. He knows that he has a great chance, but it is going to be very close as a whole lot of players are right behind him. A couple of birdies here and there and it could become a tense situation.
Either way, the fans will have a treat on Sunday with an Indian once again in contention for the National Open.