Gurgaon’s Dhruv Sheoran set himself up for a title run with a bogey-free round on Moving Day at the DP World Players Championship on Thursday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
A bogey-free run on Moving Day carried Dhruv Sheoran into clear air in the DP World Players Championship at the Classic Golf & Country Club near Manesar on Thursday
The overnight joint leader, Sheoran shot a 6 under par 66 hold a three-shot lead at 15 under 201 after round three of the Rs 1 crore event, the DP World PGTI said.
A winner on the DP World PGTI in 2024, Gurgaon’s Sheoran, 31, delivered a second consecutive 66 to take firm control of the event heading into the final day.
His error-free round was built on a blistering start with four birdies on the trot between holes two and five. The early momentum helped Sheoran maintain control through the round, gaining two more shots after the turn.
Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia (70-66-68), who returned from a long injury lay-off earlier this year, climbed into sole second place on 12 under 204 with a steady round that featured five birdies and one bogey.
Chowrasia moved up one place from overnight tied-third to stay within striking distance of the leader headed into the final round.
Close battle
Overnight co-leader Akshay Sharma (70-65-70) of Chandigarh and Jamal Hossain (67-70-68), who had shared the first-round lead, were tied for third on 11 under 205.
Akshay followed up his tournament-low 65 in round two with a composed 2 under 70, while Hossain returned a 68 to remain in contention.
Karnal’s Mani Ram (69-68-70) was fifth on 9 under 207 after a round that included an eagle on the par-5 14th along with two birdies and two bogeys.
Reflecting on his strong start, Sheoran said, “I didn’t realise at the time, but those four early birdies really gave me momentum and helped me build into the round.”
He added, “I’m just trying to follow my process and improve each day rather than thinking about my position. That’s been working well for me.”
Chowrasia, who built his round with a steady run on the front nine, said, “I got into a good rhythm early with birdies on the fifth and sixth, which made me comfortable.”
Steady run
A winner on the DP World PGTI NexGen last month, he added, “There were a few ups and downs on the back nine, but overall, it was a solid round.
“I won’t change anything for the final round — just keep playing the way I have been and take my chances.”
Opening round co-leader Harman Sachdeva of Gurgaon slipped to T6 on 8 under 208 after a 71.
He was joined by Kolkata’s Mohammad Sanju who made his move with a 67, and 2023 DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion Om Prakash Chouhan (69), already a winner this season.
Also in tied sixth was Nepal’s Sukra Bahadur Rai who struck a 72 on Thursday.
With 18 holes to go, Sheoran will look to convert his lead into a second tour title while the chasing pack will want to apply pressure early in the day.
Also read: Akshay Sharma, Dhruv Sheoran share the lead at Classic event
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