Jaipur Open: Chandigarh golfer Abhijit Singh Chadha back at the top

Three-time PGTI winner Abhijit Singh Chadha, who led the field in round one before slipping to second in round two, got back to the top of the leaderboard with a two-shot lead at the Jaipur Open

Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha regained the top spot after he carded a five-under 65 in round three of the Jaipur Open being played at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur.

Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha regained the top spot after he carded a five-under 65 in round three of the Jaipur Open. (HT File)

Three-time PGTI winner Abhijit (62-69-65), who led the field in round one before slipping to second position in round two, got back to the top of the leaderboard with a two-shot lead at 14-under 196 on Friday.

Halfway leader Amrit Lal, also from Chandigarh, dropped to tied seventh place at nine-under 201 after returning a 73 on Friday.

Abhijit’s day was highlighted by his three long birdie conversions from a range of 15 to 30 feet on the second, fourth and 18th as he did well to negotiate the tricky greens.

The 31-year-old, a winner on the PGTI last year and currently 17th on the tour’s merit list, also set up three tap-in birdies with his exceptional wedge shots. His seven birdies were accompanied by two bogeys.

Abhijit said, “I managed myself well despite the conditions not being easy as the wind was swirling around and the greens were tricky. I stayed patient and was rewarded for that. I was also very consistent with my putting. The wind generally doesn’t have much of an impact here in Jaipur. But this week, we’ve had more windy conditions than usual for this venue.”