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Manu Gandas fires 64 to join Shaurya Bhattacharya atop DP World Players Championship

Manu Gandas surged up the leaderboard with a stellar six-under 64 in the third round to catch 36-hole leader Shaurya Bhattacharya. Both players sit at 11-under 199 heading into the final round. Om Prakash Chouhan, Akshay Sharma, and Sanjeev Kumar are close behind, tied for third just one stroke off the lead. The final round promises a tight contest at the familiar Tollygunge Club course.

Key Points: Gandas, Bhattacharya tied for lead at DP World Players Championship

  • Manu Gandas shoots 64 in round three
  • Joins Shaurya Bhattacharya in joint lead at 11-under
  • Trio tied for third just one shot back
  • Final round set for dramatic showdown at Tollygunge Club
2 min read

Manu Gandas makes move with 64 in round three, joins Shaurya Bhattacharya at top of leaderboard

Manu Gandas shoots 64 to catch Shaurya Bhattacharya at 11-under, setting up a thrilling final round at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.

"My striking off the tees stood out today... I'm slowly getting there. - Manu Gandas"

Kolkata, February 20

Manu Gandas made a move with a six-under 64 in round three to join Shaurya Bhattacharya, who shot a 73, at the top of the leaderboard at the Rs 1.5 crore DP World Players Championship 2026 being played at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.

Former PGTI Order of Merit champion Manu Gandas (66-69-64), who was overnight tied seventh and nine shots off the lead, put together an eagle, five birdies and a bogey on Thursday that moved his total to 11-under 199, according to a release.

Shaurya Bhattacharya (64-62-73), the halfway leader by four shots, was not at his best on day three as his two birdies and five bogeys saw him slip into the joint lead at 11-under 199.

Om Prakash Chouhan (64), Akshay Sharma (64) and Sanjeev Kumar (67) were all tied third at 10-under 200.

Manu Gandas, who is well-versed with the Tollygunge Club course having won at the venue in the past, was slow off the blocks with his first birdie coming on the Par-3 eighth courtesy a terrific tee shot. Gandas was then on a roll as he followed that up with another birdie on the ninth and a 17-feet eagle conversion on the 10th.

Manu's bogey on the 12th didn't trouble him much as he rallied with three birdies thereafter which included a chip-in on the 14th and an 18-feet conversion on the 15th.

Manu said, "My striking off the tees stood out today and so did my approach shots. I created a lot of opportunities for myself. I would say that I have not been in the groove so far this season but I'm slowly getting there. I also like playing at Tollygunge and I have some good memories of my victory here back in 2024. That is something I will draw inspiration from in the final round."

Shaurya Bhattacharya, the leader in the first two rounds, had an off day on Thursday as he missed a number of chip-putts.

Shaurya said, "The club selection and the decision-making by me was not correct today. The consistency wasn't there. I will now look to restart and try to replicate what I did in the first two rounds."

The Kolkata duo of Mohammad Sanju and Divyanshu Bajaj were both placed tied 36th at one-under 209.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Tough day for Shaurya, but he's still tied for the lead. That shows how strong his first two rounds were. Hope he can reset and come back strong tomorrow. The pressure in the final group will be immense.
V
Vikram M
Great to see Indian golfers competing at such a high level. The leaderboard is packed! Om Prakash, Akshay, Sanjeev all just one shot back. Anyone can win this. Wish the local boys Sanju and Bajaj had a better tournament though.
P
Priya S
Manu's eagle on the 10th must have been the turning point. When a player gets hot like that, it's magical to watch. Hope he can carry that momentum into the final round. A win here would be huge for his season.
R
Rohit P
Respectfully, while the coverage is good, I wish there was more analysis on why the course is playing the way it is. Are the greens faster? Is the wind a factor? A bit more depth would help us understand the scores better.
K
Kavya N
The mental game is everything now. Shaurya has to forget today's 73. Manu has to handle the pressure of leading. So exciting for Indian golf! Tollygunge Club is looking beautiful on the highlights.

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