2007 Hero Honda Indian Open - Round 3: Randhawa joins Chapchai at the top

Title holder Jyoti Randhawa of India charged menacingly into the joint third round lead in the Hero Honda Indian Open on Saturday to earn a shot at emulating Australian great Peter Thomson's three victories in the event.

Randhawa, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, produced a superb five-under-par 67 at a sun-baked Delhi Golf Club and tie overnight leader Chapchai Nirat of Thailand on 10-under-par 206.

Chapchai failed to turn on the heat as the stumbled to a 73 while New Zealander Mark Brown fired the day's best of 64, highlighted by a closing eagle on the 18 th hole which left him one shot behind the leading duo.

A battling 70 left local hero Gaurav Ghei in fourth place on 209 while joint overnight leader Chang Tse-peng of Chinese Taipei slipped back with a 77 for equal fifth place with compatriot Lu Wen-teh (67) and Australian David Gleeson (76).

Randhawa raised the cheers with a masterclass performance, holing seven birdies against two bogeys. The 35-year-old was delighted to be in prime position to become only the second player to achieve a “threepeat” in the Hero Honda Indian Open.

“Today I was totally focused. The first two days I was possibly jet-lagged after having arrived from Europe only on Tuesday. My game has improved each day. It took me a couple of days to get adjusted to the greens and I was committed to my shots and the lines on the green,” said Randhawa, who first won the Indian Open in 2000.

“I knew I had to shoot really well and I wanted to be somewhere close to the top, preferably within a couple of shots of the leader, if possible and here I am in tie for first place,” he added.

Randhawa played the opening two rounds with Chapchai but was outscored on both occasions. However, the Indian star reckons he can turn the table on the beefy Thai on Sunday.

“Chapchai is fine a ball striker and has a good golf swing. He is definitely a player to watch out for and he can become a great player. Golf is a game that comes with age and maturity and I think I now know how to win tournaments. I have learnt a lot in past few years and I have learnt a lot from my mistakes,” he said.

A cautious Chapchai, playing safety first by using irons off the tees at the tree-lined Delhi course, failed to fire as he dropped two bogeys against a lone birdie.

“The pins were tough. Most of them were at the back and I couldn't put the ball close. I just hit it to the middle of the greens and on those greens where I hit it fairly close, I missed the chances. It was a difficult scoring day, so I just played it safe and it reflected on my score,” said Chapchai, who is ranked fifth on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit.

He is looking forward to another duel with Randhawa and is preparing for a tough battle, knowing that the Indian will ride on the home crowd support. “It's going to be very exciting. I've played with him in the first two rounds but tomorrow will be different as there will be a lot of fans cheering for him. He's also the defending champion … It'll be fun,” said Chapchai.

“There is a bit of pressure. After winning the TCL Classic (in China ) earlier this year, my form dipped and I couldn't find it back until this week. I'm still not quite confident that my form has come back,” added the Thai.

A change in putting grip proved to be magical for Brown as he was red hot on the greens. He nailed six birdies and finished in style, nailing a three wood to 10 feet for a closing eagle.

“It was kind of weird. The first two days, I was struggling on the greens and didn't make anything and I came out today and almost holed out everything that it almost got to embarrassing stage,” beamed Brown.

“It was nice to knock a few in. I changed the putting grip last night and it felt good. It was also a great way to finish the round,” said Brown.

Chang, tied overnight with Chapchai, suffered four three-putt bogeys but chose to look on the bright side. “I had trouble reading the greens and left putts short or past the holes. I just didn't get any feel on the greens. But despite shooting a 77, I'm not out of the tournament. I'm only four behind so I still have a chance,” said Chang, who is searching for a maiden Asian Tour victory.

Uttam Singh Mundy of India nailed a rare albatross on the par five 18 th hole, sinking a monstrous 262-yard shot with a three wood en route to a 68. It was the third albatross of the season and only the 15 th in the history of the Asian Tour.

Leading third round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

206 - Jyoti Randhawa ( IND ) 70-69-67, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 66-67-73

207 - Mark Bro (NZL) 71-72-64

209 - Gaurav Ghei ( IND ) 66-73-70

210 - Lu Wen-teh (TPE) 68-75-67, Chang Tse-peng (TPE) 68-65-77, David Gleeson (AUS) 66-68-76

211 - Gary Rusnak ( USA ) 71-67-73

212 - S. Sivachandran (MAS) 73-70-69

213 - Danny Chia (MAS) 66-73-74, S.S.P. Chowrasia ( IND ) 68-71-74

214 - Scott Strange (AUS) 72-74-68, Uttam Singh Mundy (IND) 70-76-68, Mitchell Brown (AUS) 74-71-69, Vijay Kumar (IND) 72-71-71, Arjun Singh (IND) 73-70-71, Ashok Kumar (IND) 68-73-73, Ross Bain (SCO) 69-72-73, Keith Horne (RSA) 71-70-73, Mars Pucay (PHI) 70-70-74, Rahil Gangjee (IND) 71-67-76, Shamim Khan (IND) 68-69-77

October 13, 2007

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