Singapore Open: Bhullar in contention as Ham holds three-day lead

Gaganjeet Bhullar fought hard to remain in the Top-5 of the Singapore Open after day three, carding a 1-over 72. He is T-5 at 6-under, seven shots behind leader Jeongwoo Ham of Korea, who holds a four-shot lead heading into the final round.

Despite an up-and-down round of golf in tough conditions, Gaganjeet Bhullar fought hard and remained inside the Top-5 of the leaderboard at the Singapore Open after the third day.

Sitting at the top of the leaderboard at the US$ 2 million International Series event is Korea's Jeongwoo Ham, who, after shooting a 68 on Saturday, has been in the lead across all three days. In energy-sapping conditions with the formidable Serapong course at the Sentosa Golf Club to boot, Bhullar hung on gamely to shoot 1-over 72 on the moving day, in a round that was all about minimising the damage and staying in the mix for him, according to a press release.

Bhullar currently lies at the Tied-fifth place at 6-under 207, a position he shares with Thai Jazz Janewattananond (68-66-73) and Pakistan's Ahmad Baig (69-71-67), who, with an eagle and two birdies, was one of the standout performers of the day.

Bhullar's Battle on a Tough Day

Bhullar encountered a nasty double bogey early on the third hole, which threatened to derail his progress. "That was unfortunate. I hit a good drive; it was in the first cut, and the lie was fine. I had about 210 yards with a five-iron, but made a poor swing and pulled it left. From there, I ended up in a tricky spot near the bunker with no proper stance for my fourth shot. I managed to get it to about 10 feet but missed the putt", he said, according to the release.

He got back a stroke immediately on the fourth and then went on to birdie the ninth as well. He would have hoped to go low in the back nine to make a charge up the leaderboard, but ended up making 8 pars and a bogey after the turn. "It was hot and humid again, but I thought I played well. The score wasn't as good as the last two rounds because I didn't hole as many birdie putts, but I created plenty of opportunities. I drove the ball really well; that was probably the strongest part of my game today. Even towards the end, I gave myself chances, just couldn't convert a few of them", he summed it up.

Bhullar currently lies seven shots off the pace from leader Ham, yet remains hopeful. "Overall, with 18 holes to go, I'll keep my head down, get some lunch, and spend some time working on my putting," he said.

Other Indians in the Fray

Young Pukhraj Singh Gill (71-70-72), playing on an International Series invite as a follow-up to the pathway created from IGPL, played steady once again. The Ludhiana lad is at level-par and at the Tied-45 place.

The other Indian to make the cut, Karandeep Kochhar, had a rather forgettable outing today, carding a 6-over 77 to lie at T-67.

Ham Cements Lead

The leader Jeongwoo Ham started this week's Singapore Open as an unknown quantity outside of Korea. However, that has changed with each passing day of the prestigious event, and the 31-year-old has a four-shot lead over Australia's Cameron John in this International Series event, one of the Asian Tour's enhanced events that offers a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

John returned a 67, the joint-lowest round of the day along with Baig and Thailand's Itthipat Buranatanyarat, while Japan's Tomohiro Ishizaka is in third, another stroke back, following a 70.

Ham was unflappable again today, conducting a putting exhibition. "It feels great because my name is always at the top, and the other players aren't overtaking me. I hope it stays that way tomorrow," he added. "There's no secret to my putting, really. The greens are just perfect. There isn't much I pay attention to when I'm putting, but I just make sure I get it done quickly because of the heat," signed off Ham.

Indian Scores: Gaganjeet Bhullar: 67-68-72 (-6); T-5 Pukhraj Singh Gill: 71-70-72 (E); T-45 Karandeep Kochhar: 71-71-77 (+6); T-67. (ANI)

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