Chih-bing in control after Shamim146;s flurry

Among the various bold colours golfers prefer to wear on course, the leadergroup threesome8217;s staid whites and greys made them look almost identical.

Among the various bold colours golfers prefer to wear on course, the leadergroup threesome8217;s staid whites and greys made them look almost identical. But on the third morning of the PGTI Bilt Open at Jaypee Greens, Shamim Khan took no time to assert a difference from partners Lam Chih-bing and Gaganjeet Bhullar

First five holes, five birdies, and suddenly that four-shot difference between him and overnight leader Chih-bing had turned into a one-shot lead for Shamim. He hit accurately, stuck to getting the greens in regulation, and sunk pars at will as his six-under total dipped to eleven-under. Singaporean Chih-bing could only just keep pace with six pars, yesterday8217;s early putting troubles haunting him again.

But the first set wrapped up, a straightforward, hardly three-foot-long putt on the par-three 7th that would have saved par stayed out, and Shamim8217;s challenge just dropped away. Even with that bogey, he was making the turn at an excellent four-under for the day, but the touch was gone. He dropped shots on the 11th, 13th and 16th, and with Chih-bing getting perkier on the greens and picking up shots of his own, that little competition was well and truly over.

Chih-bing goes into the final day extending his lead to five, at three-under 203. He will have Digvijay Singh and Himmat Singh Rai for company and as the nearest threats, after both turned in the day8217;s best card of four-under. Both are eight-under 208. Also on eight-under and tied second is Arjun Singh, who continued his solid form.

Last year8217;s tour topper Ashok Kumar8217;s expected surge is still awaited, even as Gaurav Ghei finally seemed to have figured his way around the course. Ashok turned in two-under and is tied on third with Shamim on seven-under overall. Ghei finally got his scores into red ink, getting his first under-par round in three days. Four-under today and he is into the familiar terrain of the top parts of the scoresheet, tied 13th.

The third day jackpot landed in Mohammad Siddikur Rahman8217;s lap though. The round trudging on at two-over sprang to life on the par-three 14th. The 7-iron off the tee not only ignored the expanse of water on the right and the bunkers on the left, but also the green to land right into the cup for the week8217;s only hole-in-one.

SCORES after Round 3: 203: Lam Chih-bing; 208: Himmat Singh Rai, Digvijay Singh, Arjun Singh; 209: Ashok Kumar, Shamim Khan; 211: Vijay Kumar, Amandeep Johl, Matloob A Rana, Mukesh Kumar