Kyoto, September 26: Jyoti Randhawa made another upward move with a one-under 70 as he came up to tied eighth at the end of the third round of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open golf tournament here Saturday.
Randhawa’s 70 took him to three-under 210, as he lay eight shots behind Daisuke Maruyama (67), who is four clear of the field.
Meanwhile young Gaganjeet Bhullar had a disastrous day with eight bogeys and no birdies in his 79 and skidded down to tied 55th at seven-over, down from overnight two-under total.
Randhawa said: “I guess I lose a bit of focus coming in. I got a bit tired and I’ve played many tournaments in a row. Maybe I’m not mentally fresh.”
He added: “Conditions are tough. If you don’t hit fairways, the greens are getting harder and drier. The pins were not very funny, they were on slopes on the front nine. Any score under par today is a good score, so I’ll take this.”
Maruyama brilliantly opened up a four-shot lead after the third round but was wary of being his own enemy in his quest for glory. Maruyama, 38, fired a four-under-par 67 at a sun-baked Joyo Country Club where his three-day total of 11-under-par 202 is well clear of talented Korean Kim Kyung-tae, who charged into second place with a superb 66.
Chinese star Liang Wen-chong, the Asian Tour number one in 2007, kept himself in the title frame with a battling 69 to lie in tied third place, five back alongside Korean Kim Hyung-sung, who shot a 71 after slipping up with three late bogeys in the $1.5 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Searching for his first win since 2005, Maruyama, who has one title each on the Asian Tour and Japan, scrambled superbly on the back nine to extend his overnight lead. He made big par saves on the 10th and 12th holes, draining putts of 25 feet and 20 feet to stay ahead of the chasing pack in a round that included five birdies and one bogey.
The 23-year-old Kim, winner of the Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour in 2007, and the individual and team gold at 2006 Asian Games, wielded a hot putter as he gave himself a chance of upstaging Maruyama. He turned in 35 before romping home with four more birdies.
Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa fired a 69, his first sub-par round of the week, for tied 30th place on 214.
–Agencies