Haryana: Yuvraj Sandhu gives foreign pros a run for their money

CHANDIGARH: Local lad Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, who has had a very good season this year, made deep inroads into the domination by foreign professionals of the leaderboard at the Rs. 50 lakh TATA Steel-PGTI Players Championship 2022 presented by American Express hosted by the Haryana Government and Panchkula Golf Club.
Going into the climax round of Friday, Sandhu positioned himself very adeptly at 15-under-par and just a stroke behind the leader, Bangladeshi Badal Hossain, after completion of three rounds on Thursday.Sandhu is three strokes ahead of overnight leader Jamal Hossain, and Sri Lankan N.
Thangaraj, who are at 12-under-par, 204. There are seven players within five strokes of the leader, Badal Hossain (16-under-par, 200) heading into the final Friday round.
However, to upstage the leadergroup, anyone of the professionals lurking somewhat down the leaderboard but yet within striking distance will have to go real low and hope the leaders collapse in the final round under pressure. The PGC layout does concede a bunch of strokes to a daring player with a hot putter and anything is possible on Friday though the leadergroup is also looking solid and well settled at the top ahead of the shootout round on Friday.
Overnight leader Jamal Hossain had an off day in office as he slipped with a round of 71 on Thursday. Tied at fifth place with an overall score of 11-under 205 are the Chandigarh duo of Abhijit Singh Chadha and PGTI Order Of Merit leader Ajeetesh Sandhu, Bengaluru's Khalin Joshi and Gurugram's Manu Gandas.
Badal Hossain's round of 7-under 65, the day's joint best score, consisted of eight birdies blemished by a bogey. Starting on a shaky note with a bogey on the first hole, Badal found his touch from the sixth hole onwards. Yet to win his first title on the PGTI, Badal shot the daylights out of the back-nine holes at the PGC, birdeing holes from the 10th to the 15th.
"It was a great day today, especially with my putter, as I sank three 10-15-footer birdie putts. I started with a bogey but I felt good about my hitting from the sixth hole onwards, that's the reason I sank a number of birdies from there on. Playing alongside my friends Thangaraja and Jamal, who is also my roommate, I felt a lot more relaxed out there on the course. It's a new day tomorrow and all I plan is to stick to my game and maintain my rhythm," Badal said.
Yuvraj carded a bogey-free 65, to match the day's lowest score and his round consisted of three long conversions, three quality up and downs from the bunker and two brilliant par-saves on the 17th and 18th holes.