Shubhankar Sharma returned an even-par 72 to retain a two-shot lead after the third round of the INR 2 crore Vishwa Samudra presents Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship powered by NALCO at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort in Greater Noida.
Related: Blistering round takes Shubhankar top in Jaypee Greens
The 30-year-old (68-65-72), who began the day with a four-stroke advantage, mixed five birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey to remain at 11-under 205 heading into the final round.
Manoj S (70-71-66) and Italy’s Michele Ortolani (72-70-65) emerged as Shubhankar’s closest challengers at nine-under 207.
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Manoj climbed from sixth to tied second after making six birdies in a bogey-free 66. Ortolani rose from seventh overnight with a blemish-free seven-under 65, the joint-lowest score of the day.
Last year’s DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu (71-69-69) made a three-under 69 to occupy fourth place at seven-under 209.
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Shubhankar began strongly, making four birdies on the front nine before adding another on the 10th. However, he dropped three bogeys and a double-bogey on the closing stretch that reduced his lead from his overnight four strokes to two.
“It was an up-and-down day,” Shubhankar said. “I started strongly and made four birdies on the front nine, including gains on the second, fourth and seventh, before adding another on the 10th.
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“The back nine was disappointing because I missed a few opportunities coming in and dropped some shots. However, I’m still playing good golf and have plenty to look forward to tomorrow. Hopefully, I can carry the momentum from today’s front nine through all 18 holes in the final round.”
Brashwarpal Singh (72-65-73) and Khalin Joshi (72-67-71) shared fifth place at six-under 210. Joshi, a four-time winner on the DP World PGTI this season, began the week second in the Race to DP World India Championship.
