Golf: Bhattacharya, Jaglan spearhead Indian challenge at Asian Tour Qualifying School

Hua Hin, Dec 19 (IANS) Shaurya Bhattacharya surged into contention with a superb 6-under 65 in the third round of the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School, moving up to tied second at the Lake View Resort & Golf Club. Bhattacharya, who began the day tied 15th, followed opening rounds of 70 and 67 to reach 11-under for the tournament.

The 22-year-old produced the highlight of his round by chipping in on consecutive holes on the back nine — an eagle on the 15th followed by a birdie on the 16th. Bhattacharya now trails surprise leader Tomohiro Ishizaka of Japan by a single stroke.

Ishizaka, who advanced to this week’s Final Stage through a pre-qualifier, carded a brilliant 7-under 64 on the C&D course to take the outright lead at 12-under. He holds a one-shot advantage over Bhattacharya and Mexico’s Roberto Lebrija (67), while Korean amateur Minchan Kim sits a further stroke back after a 68.

India’s Shubham Jaglan, the overnight leader, slipped to tied 10th at 7-under after a 73 that included a costly double bogey on the closing 18th hole. Despite the setback, Jaglan remains well placed heading into the final two rounds, five shots off the lead.

Reflecting on his round, Bhattacharya said, “Pretty good round. The wind was a little down today compared to the previous two days, and I had a good run on the back nine,” he said. “I chipped it in on two consecutive holes, so that was good. All in all, I hit the ball really well and made putts.”

Bhattacharya, who has won twice on the Professional Golf Tour of India this season and made his only Asian Tour start at the Bharath Classic, co-sanctioned by Asian Tour and IGPL, added that his driving and approach play set up numerous chances. “I drove the ball really well today — probably hit almost every fairway — and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities,” he said.

Two courses are in use this week at the seaside venue in Hua Hin, with all four players at the top of the leaderboard competing on the C&D layout in the third round. The field will be cut to the top 70 and ties after 72 holes, with the leading 35 at the end of Sunday earning Asian Tour cards for the 2026 season.

Several other Indians are in the running for a Tour card. Honey Baisoya shot a 68 to reach 5-under and tied 20th, while Kartik Singh (70) and Khalin Joshi (68) are tied 36th at 3-under.

S Chikkarangappa’s 67 lifted him to 2-under and tied 46th alongside Ajeetesh Sandhu (69). Rashid Khan, after a 73, is tied 70th and needs to hold position to progress to the fifth and final round.

Viraj Madappa (72) and Sachin Baisoya (76) are tied 119th, while Yuvraj Singh (73) and Pukhraj Singh Gill (73) are tied 128th and require a strong finish to break into the top 70 to get into the fifth and final round of the Q-School.

--IANS

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