Kumar in the spotlight at Panasonic Open
Ashok Kumar of India took the surprise 3rd round lead with a 3-under-par 69 at the Panasonic Open India on Saturday.
Kumar, a former caddy at the Delhi Golf Club, was hot with his irons as he missed only one particular green in regulation to take a a single-shot lead more than Bhullar, a two-time Asian Tour winner, on eight-under-par 208.
Bhullar fired a 70 to lie in second place whilst Shankar Das ensured the top 3 spots had been occupied by Indians in the penultimate round of the US$ 300,000 occasion.
Overnight leader Siddikur, nicknamed the “Tiger Woods of Bangladesh”, slipped back with a 73 to share fourth location with Indians Digvijay Singh (68) and Manav Jaini (72) and Australian Wade Ormsby (71), who is celebrating his 32nd birthday these days [Saturday].
Kumar has come a extended way given that his days as a caddy at the Delhi Golf Club as he won twenty titles on the regional circuit and claimed the 2011 Greens in Regulation category on the Asian Tour with a strike rate of 78%.
Kumar, who birdied the final hole from 15 feet to take the outright lead, is not taking his lead for granted.
“I’m not even going to feel about the title. It is too far fetch to assume ahead now. I’m just going to focus on my own game and not the leaderboard,” stated the 30-year-old.
“In the past, I’ve been aggressive on the final day but I’ve absolutely transformed now and will play calmly. I will deal with it like one more day,” extra Kumar, who is amongst 5 Indians in the top-ten.
Bhullar holed a large 25-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole and hopes the experience of winning on the Asian Tour will guidebook him to a 3rd victory.
“Mentally there is a bit of relief in my mind that I’ve won just before. Winning a tournament in India on the Asian Tour is a huge deal for an Indian because you are playing in front of buddies and family members. It will undoubtedly give me a wonderful sense of achievement,” mentioned Bhullar, whose last victory was in 2010.
Siddikur, the 1st Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, rued a cold putter as he returned with three bogeys against two birdies but is nevertheless confident of creating a final round title charge.
“My putting wasn’t good so I hope to get back on track. There is a prolonged way to go. I’m quite confident for tomorrow. I really feel I have a slight advantage due to the fact I’ve come near to winning on this program before,” mentioned Siddikur, who completed in fifth place at the SAIL-SBI Open on the identical venue final month.
Ormsby, a former European Tour player, celebrated his birthday with a battling 71 to place himself in contention for a initial Asian Tour victory. He was one-more than immediately after nine holes but bounced back with birdies on holes 14 and 18.
“It is a minor bit irritating simply because I’m not holing adequate putts. I was obtaining a bit down on myself as I was 3-below immediately after 9 holes and the other guys were going up to eight-beneath. I type of hung in there and I’m content for giving myself a chance at the end of my round,” stated Ormsby, who earned his Asian Tour card at Qualifying School earlier this year.
The globally appeal of the Asian Tour stars and the wealthy heritage connected with India will be showcased all through four days of the Panasonic Open India to over 200 countries and 650 million residences across the Live, Highlights, Magazine programmes and by means of the extra exposure generated by Golfing Planet.
The Panasonic Open India is also supporting the Golf Foundation to raise funds for the underprivileged via birdie counts. The Golf Foundation is a registered Charitable Society of golfers who want to give back to the game by assisting a pool of untapped talent.
The Foundation has produced very effective golfers like Ashok Kumar, Rashid Khan and Chikkarangappa to name a couple of. Shubham Jaglan is presently on the Foundation. He is a seven-year-old prodigy who has won practically all events in his category.