Indian Open: Chacarra on brink of title double with four-shot lead

Spain's Eugenio Chacarra leads the Indian Open by four shots at 10-under after Day 3. He is on the cusp of a rare title double, with South Africa's MJ Daffue and England's Alex Fitzpatrick chasing at the DP World Tour event in Gurugram.

Chacarra Eyes Title Double with Four-Shot Lead

A round of 18 holes at the DLF Golf and Country Club, particularly under the intense scrutiny of a Sunday finale, can go any way, according to a release. The outcome will be known tomorrow afternoon, but as things stand at the Indian Open, Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra stands on the cusp of a title double. It hasn't been done in a while. SSP Chawrasia won at the Delhi Golf Club in 2016, and completed a repeat when the National Open was played at the DLF Golf and Country Club the following year.

Sitting over a seemingly useful four-shot lead at 10-under over South African MJ Daffue and English Alex Fitzpatrick, Chacarra can pause, choose to dwell on this rare stat after the two-under 70. Without letting it get to the head, he will ready himself for the final assault at the DP World Tour's US$ 2.55 million showpiece event on the Asian Swing.

Chasing Pack Falters on Moving Day

Day Three, known as the Moving Day, is when assaults are mounted. The pack chasing Chacarra did make several attempts at breaching the Spaniard's dominance, but came away chastened by the tough course conditions on Saturday. After the prolific eight-under 64 on Friday, hope rested on Casey Jarvis to show the way once more and spice up the proceedings, but the South African dabbled more in bogeys than shots that could have furthered his cause. He finished 3-over-par with a 75 in round three and is six shots off the lead at a total score of four-under.

Like Chacarra, Jarvis is in a chase too. Should he finish in the top-2 on Sunday, it will be since Rory McIlroy pulled it off in 2012, that a player will have four consecutive top-2 or better results on the DP World Tour. The chasing pack added some new faces after 54 holes with David Law (T4; 71, 70, 70), the most resurgent of the lot, and Fitzpatrick (T2; 70, 68, 72) joining Daffue (T2; 71, 67, 72) and Freddy Schott (T4; 66, 73, 72) in the top five.

Spaniard's Rollercoaster Round Three

The stuffy morning seemed to rub off on the players, and it was a listless start with the leaders appearing intent on taking their time to understand what lay in wait on this golf course. Chacarra played out his initial holes quietly before picking up Friday's first shot on the fifth. Hopes of an awakening got doused quickly on the ensuing hole, but the bogey lit a fire that spurred the champion into a birdie-making spree.

The three-hole thrust towards the close of the front nine was the platform Chacarra needed to chart his course. Mixing caution with aggression in right measure, Chacarra opened the back nine well till the setbacks on the 13th and 14th. The bogeys were upsetting, but this brief phase required an adept handling of pressure, which he did by reminding himself that he wasn't the only one dropping shots.

"It was a reminder of what this golf course is all about," said Chacarra. The situation had all the trappings of emotions getting the better of him, but he kept them in check, and the birdie on the 16th was just the elixir to finish the round without further damage.

"This course is trying to plug along, and everything can happen. Four shots seem like nothing, so I just need to keep going on, hopefully and play a good round of golf and see what happens," said Chacarra.

'Monster' Course Puts Players to the Test

The judgement is unanimous as Daffue termed how the golf course "is a monster for me". "It's starting to get to a point where you have to be very precise on where you leave yourself. You can't leave yourself above a slope. The greens are just too fast to be able to get people close to the hole," he said.

Fitzpatrick's progress to make the tie for second with Daffue after shooting a 72 spoke of the scrutiny he was put under. "You probably heard it from a lot of people and the social media that the course is a grind. Feel like I just hit a couple bad shots and shot level par," said Fitzpatrick as he seeks to emulate elder brother Matt, who won the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour last week.

Player Updates and Indian Performance

Bhatia Misses Cut as 67 Players Advance

Hero MotoCorp Global Brand Ambassador Akshay Bhatia missed cut in his maiden appearance at the Hero Indian Open. Left with two holes in his second round, Bhatia returned on Saturday, his fate in the balance despite shooting five birdies on the front nine on Friday. He bogeyed the 17th and made par on the 18th to finish at level-par, and his two-day score read 5-over 149 (77, 72).

When Round 2 got completed in the morning today, 67 players made the cut at four-over 148.

Chouhan Leads Indian Charge

Among them were three Indians: OP Chouhan (even par), Manoj S (+2) and Kshitij Naveed Kaul (+4). Chouhan (73, 71, 73) started well, and at point finishing the day within top-15 was a distinct possibility. By dropping shots regularly, he lies T20 as the best Indian on view.

Chouhan said, "My tee shots were good but my putting was not as sharp as it was in round two. I also hit fewer greens in regulation today. I'll take heart from the fact that I kept coming back with birdies every time I dropped shots. I couldn't execute my plan today so I would like to put this round behind me and look forward to a much better day tomorrow."

Making the cut by virtue of Friday's under-par 70 would have done a world of good to the 18-year-old Manoj S's confidence. The momentum he gained got doused as he shot a four-over 76 to lie in a tie for 54th.

Kaul's tale this week has been about the struggle to stem the slide. Opening with a 73, he made the cut on the number with a 75, and Saturday was on the same lines as he carded a 77 to be at T63.

Final Round Schedule

The final round on Sunday starts at 6:52 am tomorrow with the leader group of Chacarra, Daffue and Fitzpatrick teeing off at 9 am. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)