Anirban Lahiri

Greater Noida: Anirban Lahiri continued his rampaging form and was four-under at the 17th hole while Jeev Milkha Singh was three-under when play was suspended with 15 golfers still to complete the third round of the BILT Open here on Saturday.

Overnight leader Rahil Gangjee completed 17 holes in the third round, three-under with a total of 12-under to stay on course for the title.

Out of the 38 golfers who completed the third round, Gaganjeet Bhullar carded a flawless four-under 68 for the third successive time to emerge as the club house leader with a total of 12-under 204, while one shot behind was Jyoti Randhawa (68,69,68).

Lahiri had a roller-coaster front nine. The Bangalorean was off the blocks with a birdie and followed it up with a birdie hat-trick from the fourth to sixth hole.

But a double-bogey at the tricky par-three seventh hole spoilt his broth after his tee shot slided down the hilltop before his small putts went haywire.

“Actually a fly had set itself on the ball just when I was taking my bogey putt, which distracted me and I ended up with a double bogey on the seventh,” Lahiri explained later.

However, the 21-year-old made a dramatic comeback, firing two birdies on the eighth and ninth hole to take the turn at four-under. Lahiri’s back-nine was equally topsy-turvy as he dropped a shot at the 12th but picked up a birdie on the 15th to end the day on a positive note at 17th.

In contrast, Jeev had a see-saw front nine. He sank a birdie at the fourth but stumbled on the seventh, picked up a shot at the ninth but again dropped a bogey at the 13th before finding an eagle at the 15th. He was on the greens at the 17th hole at the end of day’s play.

Gangjee started with a bogey in the first but followed it up with birdies at the fourth, sixth, 12th and 15th. Jyoti, who won the four PGTI events he participated in, sank birdies on the second, fourth, 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th against two bogeys on the 13th and last hole 18th.

Earlier in the day, resuming at three-under, Lahiri ended the second round with a total of 13-under 131 to emerge as the leader, while Jeev brought home an identical six-under 66 to grab the second spot with a total of 11-under 133.

“I am happy and satisfied with the second round score, the game started to come together for me. Though I didn’t make birdies, I was at least giving myself chance to score birdies,” Lahiri had said after the second round.