Golf
SECL Chhattisgarh Open: Shaurya moves to the top with fiery 61on day 3
Shaurya Bhattacharya, a winner on the PGTI in his rookie season, moved up one spot from his overnight tied 2nd position.
Shaurya hit his stride on the back-nine where he collected six birdies. (Photo Credit: PGTI)
Delhi’s Shaurya Bhattacharya carded a fiery eight-under 61 on day three, a performance that moved him five shots clear at the top at a total of 21-under 186 at the INR 1 crore SECL Chhattisgarh Open 2025 presented by Chhattisgarh Tourism being played at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur.
Shaurya 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.
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.
Sixteen-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’s M Dharma (66).
Shaurya 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, Shaurya 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.
Shaurya, now the overwhelming favourite to win the title, said, “I hit my approaches really well today and that’s exactly what you need on this course. I didn’t have a great start to the season so I’m looking forward to finishing well here in Raipur. I’m 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 gameplan.”
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 come 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.
Among the prominent names, Udayan Mane (64) was tied seventh at 14-under 193 while Om Prakash Chouhan (65) was tied 24th at 10-under 197.