Dhruv Sheoran storms ahead with sizzling 66 in Nuh

Nuh, Haryana: Dhruv Sheoran, who began the day as overnight co-leader, carded an impressive six-under 66 in the third round to surge into a three-shot lead at 15-under 201 in the INR 1 crore DP World Players Championship at Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh, Haryana.

The 31-year-old Gurugram golfer, a DP World PGTI winner in 2024, posted his second straight round of 66 to take firm command heading into the final day. His flawless round of 69-66-66 was powered by a blistering start, as he notched four consecutive birdies from the second to the fifth hole. Maintaining that momentum, Sheoran added two more birdies on the 10th and 11th to keep a comfortable cushion over the chasing pack.

Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia (70-66-68), who returned from a long injury lay-off earlier this year, climbed into sole second at 12-under 204 after a steady four-under 68 that featured five birdies and a lone bogey. Chowrasia moved up one place from his overnight tied-third position and kept himself within striking distance heading into the final round.

Overnight co-leader Akshay Sharma (70-65-70) of Chandigarh and Jamal Hossain (67-70-68), who had shared the first-round lead, were tied third at 11-under 205. Akshay followed up his tournament-low 65 in round two with a composed two-under 70, while Hossain returned a 68 to remain in contention.

Karnal’s Mani Ram (69-68-70) occupied fifth place at nine-under 207 after a round of 70 that included an eagle on the par-5 14th along with two birdies and two bogeys, keeping him within reach of the leaders.

Reflecting on his strong start, Sheoran said, “I didn’t realise at the time, but those four early birdies really gave me momentum and helped me build into the round.”

He added, “I’m just trying to follow my process and improve each day rather than thinking about my position. That’s been working well for me.”

Chowrasia, who built his round with a steady run on the front nine, said, “I got into a good rhythm early with birdies on the fifth and sixth, which made me comfortable.”

Sunit, a winner on the DP World PGTI NexGen last month, added, “There were a few ups and downs on the back nine, but overall, it was a solid round. I won’t change anything for the final round — just keep playing the way I have been and take my chances.”

Opening round co-leader Harman Sachdeva of Gurugram slipped to tied sixth at eight-under 208 after a 71. He was joined by Kolkata’s Mohammad Sanju who made a strong move with a 67, and Om Prakash Chouhan (69), the 2023 DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion and a winner earlier this season. The fourth player in tied sixth was Nepal’s Sukra Bahadur Rai who struck a 72 on Thursday.

With one round to go, Sheoran will look to maintain his composure and convert his lead into a second title on the tour, while the chasing pack will aim to apply pressure early in the final round.

PGTI thanks its Umbrella Partner DP World as well as its Tour Partners Axis Bank, Amul, Campa, Kalyani, Amrutanjan Enerlyte, Golf Plus Monthly and Golf Design India, for contributing to the growth and promotion of professional golf in India.

Tags : Dhruv Sheoran, Golf, PGTI, DP World, Golf