Jyoti makes cut, history

Jyoti Randhawa became the first Indian to make the cut at the Open Championship after he carded a second round one-over-par 72 at Royal Troo...

Jyoti Randhawa became the first Indian to make the cut at the Open Championship after he carded a second round one-over-par 72 at Royal Troon on Friday. He followed it up with a creditable third round one-under-par 71 today and is halfway to carding a good finish over the weekend.

Playing the kind of golf that saw him finish on top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2002, Jyoti, currently second on the 2004 Order, is only the second Indian professional golfer to play over the weekend and make the cut in a major championship after Jeev Milkha at the US Open in 2002.

Playing in the latter half of the draw on Friday, Jyoti started his round aggressively, with a birdie on the first, but immediately lost the advantage after making a bogey on the par-four second hole. He then birdied every alternate hole till the ninth to make the turn in 33, three-under-par for the day and one-under for the tournament.

However he faltered on the back nine, taking a double-bogey six on the par-four 12th and finishing the round with bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes, carding a four-over on the back nine and a one-over-par, 72 for the day taking his total to three over.

The cut, which was predicted at two over during the course of play, climbed up one shot to three-over-par, 145.

Cut made, he teed off early on Saturday for a third round one-under-par 70, taking his 54-hole total to two-over-par for the tournament. He started the round comfortably with a par on the first but bogeyed the par-four second hole before birdying on the par-four seventh and ninth holes, to make the turn at one under.

Unlike the previous two rounds, when he carded a poor back nine as compared to his front nine score, Randhawa kept his composure today and carded a level-par back nine with a birdie on the 12th and a bogey on the 14th hole to card a 71.

Tiger8217;s birdie blitz

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Tiger Woods went on a birdie blitz as he marched up the leaderboard during the third round of the Open championship here today. The 28-year-old world No 1 reeled off three birdies in his opening four holes to go four-under for the championship and only three back from overnight leader Skip Kendall who had still to tee off.