DGC Open: Rashid Khan sizzles on moist day, opens 3-shot lead
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Rashid Khan overcame a double bogey first as much as reel in in a single day chief S Chikkarangappa and take a three-shot lead into the ultimate spherical of the $750,000 DGC Open on the Delhi Golf Course on Saturday. Rashid shot a four-under 68 whereas Chikka went two over and but held a two-shot lead over the trio tied for the third spot.
Whereas a gradual downpour and swirling winds altered course situations drastically after two benign days, Rashid and Chikka held their very own on a day the leaderboard mirrored the climate. Thailand’s defending champion Nitithorn Thippong went from in a single day T-2 to T-52 whereas Honey Baisoya leapt from T-49 to T-3 with Thai Chapchai Nirat.
Rashid, second coming into Day 3, picked himself up after a double bogey 7 within the first gap with third birdies within the subsequent 4 holes. He went bogey free from there and two birdies on the again 9 gave him a cushion on the leaderboard. Six birdies in all left him at 11-under for the match. Chikka struggled on the moist course, particularly on the inexperienced in a spherical and not using a single birdie.
Rashid used his driver simply as soon as on Saturday, relying primarily on 3-iron and 3-wood from the tee on the slender course with unforgiving fairway thickets. “I hit again very well after the double bogey. I used to be simply looking for the inexperienced and provides myself birdie alternatives. I additionally holed some actually good putts right now,” the 32-year-old twice Asian Tour winner mentioned.
The spherical started in misty situations and an intermittent drizzle. Play was halted for 45 minutes within the afternoon as a result of poor climate with menace of lightning. It had no impression on Rashid. He sank a birdie instantly on resumption and likewise birdied the par-5 14th to surge forward.
"The climate did not actually have an effect on me although it’s difficult to make changes on such a day. You should choose your pictures properly, your caddie wants to save lots of your golf equipment from getting moist, and it's essential to preserve your self dry,” the 32-year-old mentioned.
Chikka was affected by the situations. “The climate did play an element right now. We all the time play in hotter and humid situations. Even right here, the primary two days have been fairly heat,” he mentioned.
“It takes slightly time to get used to those situations. The rain stored coming and it was robust to evaluate the response off the greens. I misplaced slightly little bit of pace on the inexperienced; in all probability the climate and just a bit little bit of rain slowed down the greens.”
Chasing his first Asian Tour title, Chikka hit the placing inexperienced as quickly as his spherical was carried out, regardless of regular rain.
“There have been a couple of issues in placing that I needed to iron out. I really feel I've figured that out. If the situations stay the identical on Sunday, I’ll be prepared,” the 29-year-old mentioned.
Honey Baisoya made the massive transfer of the day, leaping 46 locations within the adversarial situations.
“The swirling wind, greater than the rain, made it tough to evaluate pictures. The situations modified each 4-5 holes, so that you needed to preserve checking the place the wind was coming from,” mentioned the 26-year-old, who shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 (seven birdies).
Om Prakash Chouhan was tied third whereas SSP Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar have been tied twelfth.
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