Nuh (Haryana), March 22 Spaniard Quim Vidal signed for a third round of six-under 66 to open up a three-shot lead at a total of 17-under 199 at the US$ 300,000 Delhi Challenge 2025 being played at the Classic Golf & Country Club here on Saturday.
Vidal (65-68-66), who was in a four-way tie for the lead after round two, delivered a flawless 66 on Saturday that featured four birdies on the last five holes and helped him race ahead of the rest in the HotelPlanner Tour & PGTI joint-sanctioned event/
Englishman Joshua Berry (69-66-67), winner of the Kolkata Challenge last week, carded a 67 on Day Three to be placed second at 14-under 202. Berry too produced a bogey-free round. Austria’s Lucas Nemecz (70) is a further shot back at 13-under 203, alongside fellow countryman Maximilian Steinlechner (65) and American Davis Bryant (69).
Kshitij Naveed Kaul (69-66-69) mixed six birdies with three bogeys during his third round of 69 to climb one spot to tie for sixth position at 12-under 204 and thus continue as the highest-placed Indian. Arjun Prasad (70) was the other Indian in the top 10 as he occupied tied 10th place at 10-under 206. The Indian trio of Honey Baisoya (68), Varun Parikh (70), and Harshjeet Singh Sethie (70) were placed tied 15th at nine-under 207 thus making it six Indians in the top 20.
Quim Vidal, who landed it close to the flag all day, made a solitary birdie on the front nine followed by a chip-in birdie on the 11th. He then pocketed four birdies on the last five holes to surge ahead. “I didn’t make any mistakes today and left myself short-range putts through the day. It was a windy day but I managed to land the ball in the right spots. Scoring on the par-5s will be crucial on the final day," Quim said.
“I had a good save on the 10th for par, that gave me a little bit of a push for the back-nine, and I chipped it really close on the par fives, especially for tap-in birdies. I stayed calm because, on the first nine holes, it was a little bit slower. I finally made a good birdie on the eighth after staying patient. The course isn’t easy, it is pretty firm and if you aren’t in a good spot, it is really tough. Those 50-to-60-yard shots, you never know how it is going to bounce with the wind. You have to be smart and play your own game,” he added.
Kshitij Naveed Kaul, who has been in prime driving form this week, had mixed fortunes on the front nine as he made three birdies and bogeys each. Kshitij made a chip-in and a 20-footer for birdies on the front nine but also missed a couple of chip-putts to concede bogeys.
The back-nine brought much better news for Kaul where he enjoyed a late surge thanks to his three birdies on the last five holes. Kshitij’s birdies on the back nine came as a result of a couple of quality chip-putts and a 10-foot conversion. He scored birdies on all the four par-5 holes. “It was a tough day for scoring with the wind being up and the pin positions also challenging so one had to be very strategic off the tee. I’m happy that I kept myself in the hunt with those late birdies," Kshitij said.
“I continued to hit good drives and approach shots. When that happens, usually there is pressure on your putting. But fortunately for me, most of my putts today were for birdies. Even when I dropped bogeys, I did not hit any bad shots as such.
“I’ll look to plan well for the final round because the driver may not be the best choice on every hole taking into account the wind and the pin positions. Executing my plans will be key and putting well will be equally important,” he added.
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