New Delhi, Mar 26 (IANS): Thailand's Nitithorn Thippong came through with flying colours to take a narrow lead on a testing third day of The DGC Open, here on Saturday.
While Nitithorn, the 25-year-old from Bangkok held the lead and his countryman Settee Prakongvech was lying third, there was a very strong Indian presence on the leaderboard on a day the Delhi Golf Club's Lodhi Course proved to be at its testing best when only 11 players broke par. It was a day when both the wind and tough pin positions took a heavy toll on the golfers.
Nitithorn carded a 2-under par 70 for an aggregate of 8-under 208 to lead Ajeetesh Sandhu by two shots going into the final day of the 500,000 dollar event.
Lying third in a tournament where no lead is safe, was Settee Prakongvech.
Gaganjeet Bhullar was in sole possession of fourth place on 4-under 212 while overnight leader Veer Ahlawat had six bogeys against no birdies in a card of 78 and dropped into a tie for fifth place alongside M. Dharma of Bengaluru on 3-under 213.
The windy day saw bogeys and double-bogeys pile up almost at will. Two-time Indian Open winner SSP Chawrasia and three others including Sachin Baisoya had the day's low score of 3-under 69.
As it stands, two Thais and two Indians held the top four places and there were 10 Indians in Top-15 on a day the DGC Open threw a real test of character and patience.
"It was a very good test out there today," noted the second-placed Sandhu. "But I'm glad I'm still up there and I'll have a shot to win tomorrow, so that means a lot."
Added Nitithorn, "Today, I just focussed 100 per cent on my game and my process. So, the result was really good. I am going to play the same, just focus on my process and have fun."
He said, "Today, I didn't hit so many greens, but I got a lot of great up and downs. I think I made almost every up and down though there were times I was quite nervous."
The leader carded four birdies against two dropped shots while Sandhu needed an eagle and a birdie to rescue his card for the day. Ahlawat had little to cheer about though, dropping six shots in all, three on either side of the turn.
Third-placed Settee Prakongvech opened with an eagle-three on the par-5 first hole and a birdie, and closed with three birdies in his final four holes but dropped four shots in between.
For Sandhu, it was all about making the most of a hard day at the office. His priceless moment of the day was the eagle-three on Par-5 14th and that brought him within one of the lead. But he dropped a shot on 15th and finished with three pars for 73.
Said Sandhu, "I hung in there today, didn't really have my best day. Off the tee, with the irons, and with the putter, everything was kind of average. But I'm glad I'm still up there and I'll have a shot to win tomorrow, so that means a lot. I think you have to take your medicine once you hit it in the bushes here. You can't be too aggressive from there. The eagle on 14 was probably the best I played today and that was one of the only putts that I made today."
"I'm excited for tomorrow. Two shots in this course doesn't mean anything. It's one swing and you can turn it around so you have to be patient tomorrow, you have to keep on playing your own game", he added.
Bhullar needed a final-hole birdie to stay sole fourth. He said, "The last four to five holes were playing really tough and the moment you missed the green there, making an up and down was not easy. I'm glad I finished the round with a birdie on the 18th," the Kapurthala-based golfer said.
"On such days, it's very important to gauge the conditions early on in the round. I've played in worse conditions in Europe so I used that experience today. I kept telling myself that no one is going to hit low scores, so just keep making fairways and greens and keep making the up and downs. I'm happy to still be right up there and in contention."