Nakajima takes two-shot lead; Sheoran top Indian after round 3 of DP World India C'ship

New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) After toiling for two days, Dhruv Sheoran finally found his moment, emerging as the best-placed Indian with a solid five-under 67 in the third round of the USD 4 million DP World India Championship here on Saturday.

Sheoran (68, 73, 67), who had led the Indian pack for most parts before Rahil Gangjee stole the spotlight on day one, mixed six birdies with a lone bogey on the 12th hole to move to tied-25th at the tricky Delhi Golf Club.

At the top, Japan’s Keita Nakajima (65-69-65) maintained his remarkable run on Indian soil to take a two-shot lead heading into the final round.

A winner at the 2024 Hero Indian Open and runner-up at its 2025 edition, Nakajima had led for most of the opening day before Shane Lowry toppled him at the 18th hole.

The Japanese star fired a bogey-free 65 to reach 17-under, two shots clear of overnight leader Tommy Fleetwood (69).

Lowry (69) was a further stroke behind at 14-under.

Sheoran, who has been working closely with coach and former Asian Games medallist Rahul Bajaj, said his pre-round rhythm and putting confidence made all the difference.

“I was pretty calm today from the range itself. My putts were rolling pure and my coach gave me a big thumbs up. That confidence stayed with me on the course,” said the 28-year-old.

“Me and Rahul have worked on a few movements and I’m starting to see those changes under pressure. I was aiming for six-under and got very close. My 2-iron and 4-iron have been particularly strong this week.” Jens Dantorp, Alex Fitzpatrick, Daniel Hillier and Brian Harman share fourth place on 13-under.

Five-time Major winner Rory McIlroy (68) moved into double digits at 10-under but admitted he might be too far back to challenge, sitting tied-15th, seven shots adrift of Nakajima.

Shubhankar Sharma, the best-placed Indian at the halfway mark, returned a 71 after mixing four birdies with three bogeys to lie tied-42nd alongside Delhi Golf Club’s Shiv Kapur, who closed strongly with birdies on his final three holes to post a 70.

Anirban Lahiri (73) was tied-58th, while Abhinav Lohan (73) was tied-63rd.

It turned out to be a gripping third day as Nakajima displayed a flawless round marked by six birdies in a 10-hole stretch. The former World No.1 amateur drained a 40-foot birdie putt on the 12th and followed it up with long-range conversions on the 13th and 14th to seize control.

"It was a great day. I played with Shane Lowry and I love his swing tempo and his golf style. So I learned from Shane a lot. I copied his swing tempo on every shot, that's why I did great," said Nakajima, who took the lead at the 13th hole.

"I had two good tournaments in India already so I had confidence playing here. One more day, just keep going." Fleetwood, despite a strong front nine, lost momentum on the return stretch before salvaging a closing birdie on the 18th.

"It was a shame because my pace was pretty rubbish all day, but then I felt like I had holed out so well up until -- I made really good putts on -- that's the thing but like 2, 3, and then first putts on 6 and 7, they had so much to do -- 8 was the same, 9 was the same, up-and-down on 10, make a really good putt for par on 12. Then when I did give myself a chance to score, I missed a couple. Yeah, that was frustrating.

"I'm glad that I finished with a birdie there. Yeah, disappointing, but 72 holes. I had a five-hole stretch where I didn't putt very well. I'll try and fix it now and then we'll go again tomorrow." Nakajima will start Sunday’s final round in pole position for what could be his second win in three starts in India. PTI ATK PDS PDS