Mukesh Kumar maintains
slender lead

Despite an intense tussle, overnight leader Mukesh Kumar maintained the lead, carding a four-under 66 for a 14-under-par 196, after the penultimate round in the Royal Challenge Grand Prix golf tournament at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata on Thursday.

"My game is good but my putting troubled me today," said Mukesh, who made 28 putts today. "Four strokes is not a very large lead and I have two dangerous players on my heels," added the player who is just 18 holes away from his sixth victory.

Mukesh gave his playing partners, Rafiq and Amritinder, an opportunity to catch up after he bogeyed the first.

"I hit my tee shot slightly left and did the same with the next, which finished left of the green. My chip ran by ten feet and I missed the return putt," said Mukesh.

However, he played flawless golf thereafter. He sank a six-foot putt on the fifth for birdie, an eight-footer on the par-five seventh, a three-footer on the 10th, chipped in for birdie on the 12th and made another three-footer on the 14th hole.

Amritinder Singh and Rafiq Ali finished the day four-strokes behind the leader, at 10-under-par 200.

Amritinder carded a two-under 68, dropping a stroke on the fifth but making up for it with a birdie on the par-five seventh. He then dropped a shot on the ninth but recovered with a birdie on the 10th, followed by two more coming in, on the 14th and 17th holes.

"I played solid golf throughout and my putting was good," said Amritinder.

Meanwhile, also tied at second place, Rafiq carded an uneventful bogey-free 69. He had just one birdie, as a result of a two-putt on the par-five 10th hole.

Among the amateurs, local Sanjeev Mehra continued to lead the amateur category, carding a 71 in the penultimate round of the championship.

Follwoing are the leading scorers at the end of the third day of the meet.
196_Mukesh Kumar (66, 64, 66); 200_Rafiq Ali (65, 66, 69), Amritinder Singh (67, 65, 68); 201_ Rahul Ganapathy (67, 68, 66); 202_Digvijay Singh (68, 65, 69); 203_ Uttam Singh Mundy (64, 69, 70); 205_ Indrajit Bhalotia (67, 70, 68); 206_Ashok Kumar (67, 70, 69); 207_Shiv Prakash (69, 66, 72), 208_Basad Ali (72, 69, 67), SSP Chowrasia (71, 69, 68), Bhoop Singh (67, 71, 70), Sanjay Kumar (68, 69, 71).

Yesterday's report
Mukesh Kumar leads