Shiv Kapur, who is yet to triumph at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club (DGC), grabbed a share of the lead at the Panasonic Open, closing the day with a stunning 25-footer for an eagle.
Minutes before he holed that massive putt, American Paul Peterson (70) chipped in from the edge on the 18th to move from 11-under to 13-under, where he was joined by Kapur (69).
The last time when Kapur held a share of the lead going into the final day of a tournament at his home club at the DGC was at the 2010 Sail Open. He, however, finished second to Swede Rikard Karlberg, and is still searching for his first pro win at the DGC.
Another DGC man Shamim Khan, who is currently leading the PGTI Order of Merit signed for a 69 to take third place. Tied at fourth was seasoned SSP Chawrasia with four birdies, three of them in last seven holes. He had for company Om Prakash Chouhan (66) and Sudhir Sharma (66). Chouhan’s card included two chip-in birdies on 7th and 11th and Sudhir had eight birdies and two bogeys and are at 11-under. With just two shots separating the top six players, the stage is set for a gripping finish.
Kapur admitted he struggled for good part of the day and did not have his A game in place. He opened with a bogey on Par-5 first and then barely managed to save a par on 10th. Then on 11th, he erred again and made a double. “Suddenly, that 11-under became 13-under and it looked a whole lot different. My hitting was not good at all, and it was my short game that has been very sharp and it saved me. But I am proud of the way I hung and showed a lot of grit to save pars and that eagle was a great way to end the day,” Kapur said.
Shamim Khan said, “It was definitely not my best round of the week but those two birdies, when I converted two long putts from 12 feet and 25 feet on 16th and 17th, kept me in the hunt.”