Jaglan goes bogey-free and shares the lead in the Tata Open with Sandhu

Shubham Jaglan returned a flawless 65 to retain a share of the lead on the penultimate day at the Tata Open along with Merit ace Yuvraj Sandhu in Jamshedpur on Saturday. Image courtesy of PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Newly minted Asian Tour cardholder Shubham Jaglan returned a bogey-free card to share the Tata Open Moving Day lead with PGTI Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu in Jamshedpur on Saturday.

Jaglan, 21, turned pro earlier this year and is playing in only his third PGTI event. On Saturday, he fired a 6 under par 65 to tie day two leader Sandhu at 14 under par in the season-ending Rs 2 crore.

The Tata Open will be played at the Golmuri and Beldih golf courses, with the last nine holes scheduled for Sunday at the latter location.

Jaglan (68-66-65), who earned Asian playing rights at the Q School Final Stage in Hua Hin last week, is on a roll after finishing second in his PGTI debut in Chandigarh last month.

Sandhu (67-64-68), the leader at the half by three shots, had a 3-under 68 on Saturday to stay in the hunt for a record seventh PGTI title in a single season.

There was daylight between the two and the rest of the field as Veer Ahlawat (65), Khalin Joshi (68) and N. Thangaraja (68) fell five shots behind in a tie for third place at 9-under 204.

On days one and two, half of the field played 18 holes in Beldih and the other half in Golmuri. In rounds three and four, the leading groups will play the front nine in Golmuri before moving to Beldih for the back nine. The combined par for the event is 71.

Rich returns

Jaglan, second overnight, three shots off the lead, had a prolific front nine with three birdies and an eagle thanks to two seven-foot conversions and two 15-foot conversions.

On the back nine, the US returnee birdied 12 and made two great par saves, including a 25-footer that kept his momentum going.

“I played very well on my front nine in Golmuri, but the 30-minute journey from there to Beldih slowed things down a bit as I had never experienced playing a round at two venues so far apart,” said Jaglan.

“However, some great par saves at Beldih gave me a lot of confidence and helped me get back into my rhythm. Today was my first time in the leadership group at a PGTI event.

Coping

“Being in the spotlight and being cheered on by so many people comes with its own pressure, but I feel like I handled that pressure well today.”

Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu continued to show good form at the season-ending Tata Open in Jamshedpur on Saturday and will enter the final round with a share of the lead. Image courtesy of PGTI.

Sandhu made five birdies against two bogeys on Saturday to remain in the lead.

“I had a good start in Golmuri but had a couple of three putts in Beldih,” Sandhu noted.

“But coming off the course I feel quite motivated to do well in the last round as it will be the last competitive round of 2025, so I want to do my best.”

Rookie Manoj S. made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole during his round of 67 and ended the day tied for sixth at 8-under 205 with Mohd Azhar and Amardeep Malik.

Kurush Heerjee, the only professional from Jamshedpur to make it, was tied at 51^st at 7 over 220.

Also read: Sandhu takes Tata Open lead with blistering run in round two

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