Kolkata, February 19 Manu Gandas put up a sensational six-under 64 in the third round, joining Shaurya Bhattacharya at the top of the leaderboard at the Rs 1.5 crore DP World Players Championship here on Thursday.
Gandas (66-69-64), a former DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion, who was tied seventh overnight and was nine shots behind the leader, put together an eagle, five birdies and a bogey to bring his total to 11-under 199 at the Tollygunge Club.
Bhattacharya (64-62-73), the halfway leader by four shots, was not at his best on day three as his two birdies and five bogeys saw him slip into a joint lead at 11-under 199.
Om Prakash Chouhan (64), Akshay Sharma (64), and Sanjeev Kumar (67) were all tied third at 10-under 200.
Gandas, who is familiar with the Tollygunge Club course having won at the venue in the past, started slowly, with his first birdie coming on the Par-3 eighth thanks to a great tee shot. Gandas then continued his good form, adding another birdie on the ninth and an eagle conversion on the 10th.
His bogey on the 12th didn't bother him much, as he rallied with three more birdies, including a chip-in on the 14th and an 18-feet conversion on the 15th.
"My tee shots and approach shots stood out today, and I created a lot of opportunities for myself. I haven't been in top form so far this season, but I'm slowly getting there," said Manu.
"I also enjoy playing at Tollygunge, and I have some good memories of my victory here in 2024. I will draw inspiration from that in the final round," he added.
The Kolkata duo of Mohammad Sanju and Divyanshu Bajaj were both placed tied 36th at one-under 209.
