Mukesh blasts course
record, takes lead
India’s top-ranked golfer Mukesh Kumar inflicted a dual blow on overnight leader and Asia’s eighth ranked pro Vivek Bhandari, grabbing both his lead and course record with the help of a scintillating
third-round eight-under 64 at the Rs 700,000 Noida Open Golf championship
2001.
Mukesh bettered Bhandari course record, a seven-under 65, set in
the opening round of this very tournament two days ago.
The ninth leg of the
2001-02 Hero Honda Golf Tour, the tournament is being played at the
par-72,
6,940-yard Noida Golf Course.
Bhandari is now placed second at 14-under
202, one stroke behind Mukesh’s 15-under 201.
Kanpur’s Shiv Prakash played well for his four-under 68 but had to settle
for third position at nine-under 207.
Calcutta's Basad Ali was fourth at
211 while another Calcuuan Indrajit Bhalotia was tied fifth with Delhi’s
Rohtas
Singh at 212. The duo of Uttam Mundy (Calcutta) and Digvijay Singh
(Meerut)
were tied seventh at 213.
"It feels great to break the course record. This is the best round of
golf
I have ever played," said Mukesh.
However, this was not his best ever
round in terms of figures. Not even his best round this season. The in-form golfer returned a nine-under 63 at the TNGF Open at the Cosmopolitan Golf Club, Madras, in September this year.
"I have played to nine-under as many as four times in my career, but this eight under is special as it
came under pressure against a player of the caliber of Vivek Bhandari," said
the leader of the Order of Merit.
Already having expressed a keen desire to
defend his title, Mukesh was a picture of intense concentration on Saturday.
"I never believed even for a minute that I would slip up at any stage. Not
once."
The Mhow-based golfer wasted little time in erasing the overnight
one-stroke lead held by Bhandari. A birdie on the 3rd, where Bhandari dropped a shot
handed Mukesh the lead, which he never relinquished.
"My hitting was exemplary but I must give credit to the way Bhandari played. It reminded
me to an extent of last week’s round against Rahil Gangjee. Only this time
things went my way."
Calcutta's Gangjee had beaten Mukesh to the ropes at
the HT Pro-Golf 2001 in Lucknow last week despite a classic final day
charge by the latter.
"The golf course is just superb. That accounts for the
course records this week," added the two-time ‘Player of the Year’ award
winner.
Mukesh returned as many as eight birdies in a bogey-free round.
His birdies came on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th.
"My game plan tomorrow is to keep the ball in the center of the fairway.
Everything else will fall in place," said the 32-year old.
Vivek Bhandari was a victim of the Mukesh tornado. There was little he
did wrong today, except for, maybe, the bogey on the 3rd.
"That bogey tilted the tide Mukesh's way," said Bhandari. "However, this (Mukesh’s) has to be
one of the best rounds of golf I have witnessed. He was just fantastic," said
the 30-year old Bhandari.
Not that the Delhi Golf Club pro did not put up
a fight. To his credit it must be said that he fought tooth and nail to
return a six-under 66. The highlight of his round was a 30 feet eagle
putt
on the 17th. This brought him on par with Mukesh’s score but the eventual
leader foiled Bhandari’s efforts with a birdie on that hole.
"I am not too disappointed to lose the course record. It had to happen sometime. My
main
aim is to win tomorrow," said Bhandari, who birdied the 2nd, 8th, 9th, 14th
and 15th other than his bogey on the 3rd and eagle on the 17th.
Bahuguna grabs amateur lead: Saurav Bahuguna grabbed the lead among the
amateurs with a tally of six-over 222. Vikrant Chopra and Simarjeet Singh
were jointly placed second at 225.
Scores (after 54 holes): 201_Mukesh Kumar(71,66,64); 202_Vivek
Bhandari(65,71,66); 207_Shiv Prakash(70,69,68); 211_Basad Ali(73,68,70);
212_Indrajit Bhalortia(72,71,69), Rohtas Singh(72,69,71); 213_Uttam
Mundy(70,75,68), Digvijay Singh(73,67,73); 214_Harmeet Kahlon(75,67,72);
215_Arjun Singh(74,71,70), Vijay Kumar(73,68,74).
Amateurs: 222_Saurav
Bahuguna(73,76,73); 225_Vikrant Chopra(76,77,72), Simarjeet
Singh(73,77,75)