Kruger enjoys narrow lead at Avantha Masters

Gurgaon: South Africa’s Jbe Kruger held the Avantha Masters lead by one stroke after the third round at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Saturday.

Kruger shot a 66 to take his total to 11-under 205 to go ahead of German Marcel Siem, Scot Peter Whiteford and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet.

Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara, Italy’s Andrea Pavan, Ireland’s Paul McGinley, Scotland’s Marc Warren, Australia’s Marcus Fraser and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat were one shot further behind to share the fifth spot.

Whiteford, the leader over the first two rounds, had a bad day at the office and hit two bogeys and two double bogeys.

Among the notable Indians, Anirban Lahiri was tied 20th after a 72 in the round, five shots off the pace; Shiv Kapur held the tied 31st spot at 212; Jeev Milkha Singh was tied 50th at 216; while the defending champion SSP Chowrasia continued to disappoint to be tied 58th at 218.

On a windy and sunny day, all these local heroes failed to live up to the expectations.

Meanwhile, Kruger went from strength to strength. He unleashed two eagles on 6th and 15th to entertain a small gallery after him not a little. Two more birdies, including one at 18th, made him the star of the day.

The diminutive man was as pleased as punch.

“My putting has been good and if I can see the line, I’m confident my putts will go in. I’m improving and I’m a lot more experienced as compared to the time when I started and I think that gave will me the edge,” he said.

However, he refused to think far too ahead.

“I’m going to try to play like how I played today. If it’s meant to be my week, it will be mine, so I don’t want to think too far yet.”

Meanwhile, Whiteford considered himself still in the reckoning despite earning no stroke on the day.

“I’m as confident as I’ve been all week really. I’ve been hitting enough good shots, but today obviously there were a few bad ones. There are plenty of chances out there, and I’ll probably need a five-under or something to win it tomorrow, depending on the weather,” he said.

After the penultimate round, it’s crystal clear that the Indians are already out of the title race and that among the leaders there is no clear favourite. Sunday promises to be a lip-smacking contest. Believe me you!