Kolkata, March 15 (IANS) England’s Joshua Berry, who set the course record of 10-under 62 on Day Two, produced a late flourish and moved into sole lead after shooting a stoic two-under 70 in round three of the US$300,000 Kolkata Challenge 2025 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) here on Saturday.
Berry’s (72-62-70) three-day total of 12-under 204 gave him a one-shot advantage at the top in the HotelPlanner Tour and PGTI joint-sanctioned event. Austria’s Lukas Nemecz (67-70-68) climbed from tied fourth to second position following his score of 68 in round three. India’s Om Prakash Chouhan (66-68-73), the overnight joint leader, carded a 73 on Saturday to slip four places to tied fifth position at nine-under 207.
The 19-year-old Joshua Berry, who was the overnight joint leader along with Om Prakash Chouhan, made two early bogeys on Saturday. Joshua then roared back into contention by adding four birdies to his card, including three in quick succession between the 14th and 17th. He converted a 35-footer for a birdie on the ninth.
Berry, who secured DP World Tour playing status at Qualifying School in 2023 as an amateur and then did so again as a professional in 2024, felt patience was crucial on a challenging day.
“It was a bit of a grind. It was brutal out there at times, but I’m proud of how I came back. I think the front nine is a little trickier than the back nine, where you get a few more chances, but on the front nine, you’ve got to just stick in there. There are some meaty par fours, so you’ve got to stay patient,” he said.
“Because of the heat, the ball is going absolutely miles, and the greens are firm. If you miss a fairway, it could go anywhere, so you’ve got to keep it in play. It was definitely trickier playing in the afternoon today. We’re teeing off earlier tomorrow, so hopefully I can take advantage of that,” he added.
The 38-year-old Om Prakash Chouhan, who won on the HotelPlanner Tour and at the RCGC in 2023, made a couple of birdies on Saturday but also dropped three bogeys.
“I’ve been striking the ball well as I made eight greens in regulation over the first nine holes. However, it was a poor day with the putter for me. I just couldn’t get into my putting rhythm and was having trouble reading the greens,” Chouhan said.
“The key on the final day will be finding my putting tempo early in the round. Once that happens, I have my plans in place on how to approach the last round,” he said.
Arjun Prasad was the next best Indian as he occupied tied 12th place at six-under 210 following his third round of 68 which featured an eagle, three birdies, and a bogey.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (71) and Dhruv Sheoran (73) were placed tied 15th at five-under 211, thus making it four Indians in the top 20. SSP Chawrasia and Ajeetesh Sandhu, two other prominent Indian names, were placed tied 24th at four-under 212.
–IANS
bsk/
