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Ahlawat T4, Germany’s Paul continues to lead in Indian Open golf
Yannik Paul retained the lead, one shot ahead of compatriot Marcel Siem after the third round while India’s Veer Ahlawat was tied fourth and six shots off the lead in the Hero Indian Open
Germany’s Marcel Siem clenched his fists and let out a victory cry after nailing his birdie on the tricky 18th hole, a celebration he had the opportunity to repeat multiple times on Day 3 of the Hero Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Saturday.
Birdies on the last two holes helped him finish one shot off compatriot Yannik Paul – the leader from Round 1 – going into the final round. Paul, fresh from his second-place finish at last week’s Thailand Classic, reeled off three birdies in a row on the front nine after two bogeys in the first three holes, a comeback indicative of his confidence and class.
On a course where consistency has been at a premium, the 29-year-old Paul, who began the day with a five-stroke lead, maintained advantage on the second consecutive day to emerge the favourite to win his second trophy on the DP World Tour.
“There are definitely easier courses to maintain a lead. You don't really have a lot of room for error here. I would have loved a 10-shot lead on a course like this, but really happy to go into the final day with the lead. It’ll be a long day tomorrow,” Paul said.
The Eintracht Frankfurt fan's golfing career took shape in the US, at the University of Colorado where he spent five years from 2013. He earned the European card for 2022 after finishing ninth on the Challenge Tour's Road to Mallorca Rankings, making an immediate impression, securing five top-10 finishes in the debut year, including the Mallorca Open win and a tied-second at Soudal Open in Belgium.
“The more tournaments you play the more comfortable you get and obviously having one win already kind of helps me stay confident. I have the belief to excel at this level,” he said.
Siem's career though has taken a different trajectory. The 42-year-old is a veteran of over 500 European tour events, but has only four wins. Into his 25th year as a pro, he still approaches tournaments with an amateur's vigour and admits to nervous energy, which kept him awake overnight after he ended Day 2 tied second.
Siem's last win was in 2014, in the BMW Masters in China. He lost his European card in 2020 but got it back last year after a return to the Challenger Tour and going on a 13-tournament run.
“My only target after winning back the card was to secure as many top-20 finishes as possible. I have already got four top-20s in my last five events, so it's a good start,” said Siem after a third round 67 to be 10-under for the tournament, two strokes clear of third-placed Dutchmam Joost Luiten.
“It's been a while since I last won on tour, so it will be a nervous night," he said. "It'll be a really big deal if I go all the way tomorrow (Sunday)."
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, winner of the Thailand Classic, shot a bogey-free six-under 66, the best round of the day, to climb to tied fourth.
Veer shines
Local boy Veer Ahlawat emerged the best Indian to be tied fourth at five-under 211. The 26-year-old made five birdies against one bogey to raise hopes of a strong finish. Ahlawat had a great start with three birdies in the first five holes, bogeying the par 4 14th. “I'd take the result. I hit quite well today and also had some very good putts. It was not really windy but the placement of flags was quite tricky,” the 26-year-old said.
Ahlawat, much like Manu Gandas and Yuvraj Sandhu, had a breakout 2022, winning once and claiming five top 10s in nine events he played on the PGTI tour, finishing sixth on the Order of Merit. “I take a lot of heart and confidence from my performance last year. Plus, the fact that a good show on PGTI tour can put you in contention for a direct spot for the European tour is a certain motivation,” Ahlawat said.
Shubhankar Sharma had another disappointing day, an even par round leaving him on T28. Sharma struggled with five bogeys and only three birdies. “I don't think I played that bad, actually,” he said. “My putting was not up to the mark. The pin positions on some holes were also tough. All to play for tomorrow.”
Angad Cheema, tied second on Friday, slipped to tied seventh while Honey Baisoya was tied 10th.
