Bhattacharya (64-61-61), a winner on the PGTI in his rookie season last year, moved up one spot from his overnight tied second position as a result of his second consecutive 61.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja (66-63-62) shot a 62 on Thursday that propelled him 13 spots to tied second place at 16-under 291. Khalin Joshi (64-60-67), the halfway leader, returned a third round of 67 to stay in contention as he shared second place with Thangaraja. The 16-year-old rookie Manoj S. (65) of Bengaluru, playing only his third professional event, was tied fourth at 15-under 192 along with Faridabad-based Abhinav Lohan (64) and Bengaluru\u2019s M Dharma (66).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya, the 2024 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year, had a quiet front nine where he sank three birdies in exchange for a bogey. However, Bhattacharya hit his stride on the back nine, where he collected six birdies. The 22-year-old drove the green on the Par-4 12th, landed it within a foot of the flag on two occasions, and chipped in on the 17th.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya, now the overwhelming favourite to win the title, said, \u201cI hit my approaches really well today, and that\u2019s exactly what you need on this course. I didn\u2019t have a great start to the season, so I\u2019m looking forward to finishing well here in Raipur. I\u2019m carrying the confidence from my victory last year. I will look to continue what I did in the first three rounds. I just want to keep the momentum going and execute my game plan.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Thangaraja mixed nine birdies with two bogeys on a day he landed most of his shots within seven feet of the pin. Thangaraja, who won his last title in 2023, will be among the contenders on Friday. Khalin Joshi, a winner of six titles, including one on the international stage, kept himself in the fray with a 67 that featured five birdies and three bogeys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya, now the overwhelming favourite to win the title, said, \u201cI hit my approaches really well today, and that\u2019s exactly what you need on this course. I didn\u2019t have a great start to the season, so I\u2019m looking forward to finishing well here in Raipur. I\u2019m carrying the confidence from my victory last year. I will look to continue what I did in the first three rounds. I just want to keep the momentum going and execute my game plan.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> Highest tax paying cricketers<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n