Indian winner unlikely at Indian open

NEW DELHI: Jyoti Randhawa's bid for a third successive title lay in tatters and though Jeev Milkha Singh and Ashok Kumar stayed inside top-10, the chances of an Indian grabbing the Indian Open looked bleak after Chinese Liang Wen-Chong held on to the lead after the penultimate round of the USD one million Asian Tour event here on Saturday.
    
Jeev (68) and Ashok (70) share the fifth spot, five strokes adrift of Wen-Chong (71) and though the Chinese's form has been on the wane after his opening round blitzkrieg of a course-record 60, he still holds the aces going into the final day with a total of 14-under 202.
    
"I am feeling good about my game but this is the first time I am leading after three rounds so it's something new to me. The holes are tough and it's always a challenge. I wasn't playing safe but at the same time you can't really be aggressive here," Wen-chong said.
    
Australian Adam Blyth is Wen-Chong's closest rival at 13-under after turning in a six-under 66 that was studded with eight birdies against a couple of bogeys, on the back nine.     

Another Australian Unho Park also returned a 66, which was a bogey-free affair, but lay a stroke behind Blyth at the sole third spot.
    
For Randhawa, meanwhile, the nightmare has quite clearly continued beyond his expectations. The Delhi-pro, who was the undisputed pre-tournament favourite due to his envious home record, finished the day one-over 73, leaving him even-par overall at the tied 55th position.
    
He managed three birdies against four bogeys in yet another topsy-turvy card.

With the defending champion all but out of contention, it has been left to Jeev to lead the Indian charge and despite his admitted discomfort at the DGC, the seasoned pro did not disappoint the local fans.     

Off the blocks with a birdie on the first hole, Jeev was sensational in his blemish-free front nine. He picked up an eagle on the eighth before striking a birdie on the ninth to make the turn four-under.
    
The back nine, as has been the case throughout the tournament for Jeev, turned out to be lot tougher and as he stumbled to three bogeys  on the 10th, 13th and the 16th  but an equal number of birdies sandwiched in between ensured that Jeev is in contention for at least a top-five finish.
    
"Played rock solid today. In fact I played very well in the front nine. Putting was much better. I am playing good and trusting myself," Jeev said reflecting on his round on Saturday.
    
"The conditions are excellent but there are tough flags in the back-nine but that's good, because there should be tough flags. I will stick to my mantra of process and routine. I will be aggressive and go for it. If I get a good start, I can go for it. Anything is possible," he added spelling out his strategy for the final round.
    
Ashok, meanwhile, had a day similar to Jeev's. The 27-year-old played out a flawless front-nine studded with birdies on the second, fifth and eighth.

The back nine was harsh on him as well and he dropped a double bogey on the 13th, before recovering to fire back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th.
    
The Delhi-pro, however, could not the end the day as well and dropped a stroke on the 18th to finish two-under for the third round.
    
"I hit the ball really well today. However, my putting was not up to the mark. Had I putted well I could have been in a much better position. I missed short birdie putts," rued Ashok.
    
The next-best-placed Indians were veteran Gaurav Ghei and Mukesh Kumar at the tied 14th spot.
    
Ghei, a consistent performer so far, was also done in by a poor back nine as he carded a one-under 71 to total seven-under after three rounds. Mukesh shot a 68 on Saturday.
    
Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra spent most of his day grappling with the bushes, carding a two-over 74 to be tied for the 18th spot.
    
The two-time winner on the US PGA Tour was the last man to sign his card due to his all day long tryst with the bushes that left him six-under overall.