Kolkata, February 19 – Manu Gandas made a move with a six-under 64 in round three, joining Shaurya Bhattacharya, who shot a 73, at the top of the leaderboard at the INR 1.5 crore Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Players Championship 2026, being played at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.
Former DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion Manu Gandas (66-69-64), who was tied seventh overnight and was nine shots behind the leader, put together an eagle, five birdies, and a bogey on Thursday, which brought his total to 11-under 199.
Shaurya Bhattacharya (64-62-73), who was leading by four shots at halftime, 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.
Manu Gandas, who is well-versed with the Tollygunge Club course, having won at the venue in the past, was slow off the blocks, with his first birdie coming on the Par-3 eighth, thanks to a terrific tee shot. Gandas then continued his strong performance, following up with another birdie on the ninth and an eagle conversion on the 10th.
Manu’s bogey on the 12th didn’t bother him much, as he rallied with three birdies thereafter, which included a chip-in on the 14th and an 18-foot conversion on the 15th.
Manu said, “My tee shots and approach shots stood out today, and I created a lot of opportunities for myself. I would say that I haven’t been in top form this season, but I’m slowly getting there. I also enjoy playing at Tollygunge, and I have some good memories of my victory here in 2024. That is something I will draw inspiration from in the final round.”
Shaurya Bhattacharya, the leader in the first two rounds, had an off day on Thursday as he missed a number of chip-putts.
Shaurya said, “My club selection and decision-making were not correct today. There was no consistency. I will now look to restart and try to replicate what I did in the first two rounds.”
The Kolkata duo of Mohammad Sanju and Divyanshu Bajaj were both placed tied 36th at one-under 209.
