Shankar Das Surges Ahead in McLeod Russel Tour Championship
Shankar Das' three-day total now stands at 13-under 203 and he enjoys a two-shot lead over his nearest rival Rashid Khan of Delhi, who collected 71 in the third round. Delhi's Shamim Khan lies third at 10-under 206.
Shankar Das fired a timely seven-under 65 to surge ahead in round three of the Rs. 1.5 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship at the par-72 Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Saturday.
Kolkata's Das' three-day total now stands at 13-under 203 and he enjoys a two-shot lead over his nearest rival Rashid Khan of Delhi, who collected 71 in the third round. Delhi's Shamim Khan lies third at 10-under 206.
Das' third round effort, the day's joint best score made him a strong contender in the Rolex Rankings race besides Rashid Khan and S. Chikkarangappa. Das is currently placed third in the rankings.
Das (68-70-65), who was overnight tied sixth, shot his best score of the week as he came up with an eagle and eight birdies against three bogeys.
He began the day on a bright note with an eight-foot birdie conversion on the first. He then stumbled with bogeys on the second and third due to some errors in judgment. The 31-year-old turned the tide in his favour with an eagle on the par-five fourth where he found the green in two shots and sank a 10-footer.
Das, also a winner of four titles, then went on a birdie-spree on the sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th after landing it within six feet on all four occasions. His approach from 150 yards stopped within a whisker of the hole on the eighth. The bogey on the 14th was a minor blip as the local boy produced a fine chip shot on the 15th and two 25-footers on the 16th and 18th to earn three more birdies.
"The bogeys early on were disappointing. On the second, I didn't go by my gut feeling as far as club selection is concerned and ended up with a poor tee shot. I then hit a half-hearted shot on the third.
"The eagle on the fourth was the turning point for me. I knew I could pick up the pace from there on. I then almost sank putts at will and fired a near-perfect approach on the eighth," said Das, who has posted seven top-5s on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) in 2014.
Rashid Khan (71-63-71), who matched the course record in round two with a superb 63, had a relatively quieter day Saturday as he carded a 71. Rashid, however, hung on to his overnight second position at 11-under-205.