Kshitij Naveed Kaul of Delhi maintained his strong form in the third round of The Poona Club Open, shooting a solid four-under 67 to establish a two-shot lead with a total score of 16-under 197. The 23-year-old, who has had a consistent presence at the top of the leaderboard, now leads the event for the third consecutive day at the Poona Club Golf Course in Pune.
Varun Parikh, the winner of last month’s PGTI event in Ahmedabad, made an impressive move up the standings, matching the course record with an eight-under 63. This performance lifted him into second place with a total of 14-under 199.
PGTI Order of Merit leader Veer Ahlawat also had a strong outing, signing for a bogey-free 66 to reach 13-under 200, which earned him a tie for third place with Chandigarh’s Karandeep Kochhar. Kochhar, the overnight leader, posted a 70 on Friday, which saw him drop from first to tied third.
Divyansh Dubey, the top Pune-based professional, is tied for eighth at nine-under 204, while Olympian Udayan Mane, another local favorite, finished the day in tied 25th at four-under 209 after carding a 70.
Kaul’s round was marked by his excellent driving and chipping, which helped him secure three birdies on both the front and back nines, despite a couple of missed short putts. Reflecting on his round, Kaul said, “It was a near-perfect day for me except for the two short putts I missed. My short game was great, and I’ve made some quality up and downs throughout the week. The good memories from this course are definitely an advantage going into the final round. The key will be to keep the ball on the fairway and putt well.”
Parikh, who also showed impressive form, made nine birdies and only one bogey during his round. His performance featured five consecutive birdies from holes 10 to 14. Parikh credited his relaxed mindset for his strong performance, saying, “This season, I’ve focused on just having fun and not putting pressure on myself, and it’s really helped my game. I’ll take the same approach into the final round.”
Kaul will look to defend his lead and secure another win at the Poona Club Golf Course, where he claimed his maiden professional title in 2019.
