This celebration was one that he had the opportunity to repeat multiple times on Day 3 of the Hero Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Saturday.
India’s Veer Ahlawat was tied for fourth and six shots behind the lead in the Hero Indian Open.
He finished one shot behind his compatriot Yannik Paul, who was the leader from Round 1 going into the final round, thanks to birdies on the final two holes.
Following two bogeys in the first three holes, Paul, fresh from finishing second at the Thailand Classic last week, made three birdies in a row on the front nine, demonstrating his confidence and class.
The 29-year-old Paul, who started the day with a five-stroke lead, maintained that advantage for the second day in a row to emerge as the favorite to win his second trophy on the DP World Tour.
Maintaining a lead is definitely easier in certain courses. You really don’t have much room for error here.
On a course like this, I would have preferred a 10-shot advantage, but I was thrilled to lead going into the final day. Tomorrow will be a long day, Paul said.
The Eintracht Frankfurt supporter began his golfing career in the United States, where he attended the University of Colorado for five years beginning in 2013.
After finishing ninth on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings, he was given a European card for 2022.
In his first year, he had five top-10 finishes, including winning the Mallorca Open and tying for second at the Soudal Open in Belgium.
But Siem’s career has gone in a different direction. The 42-year-old has competed in over 500 events on the European tour, but he has only won four of them.
Even in his 25th year as a professional, he still approaches tournaments with the same enthusiasm as an amateur and admits to having nervous energy. Which kept him up all night after Day 2 when he finished tied for second.
Siem won the BMW Masters in China in 2014, his last victory. He lost his European card in 2020, but the following year, after returning to the Challenger Tour and competing in 13 tournaments, he was able to get it back.
After regaining the card, my sole objective was to achieve as many top-20 finishes as possible. After shooting a 67 in the third round, Siem finished the tournament on 10-under par. Two strokes ahead of third-placed Dutchman Joost Luiten. “It’s a good start,” Siem said.
He stated, “It’s been a long time since I won on tour, so it will be a nervous night.” If I go all the way tomorrow (Sunday), it will be a huge deal.
The Thailand Classic winner from Denmark. Thorbjorn Olesen, shot the best round of the day, a bogey-free six-under 66, to tie for fourth place.
Veer is the best Indian, as local boy Veer Ahlawat finished tied for fourth at five-under 211. The 26-year-old raised hopes of a strong finish with five birdies and one bogey.
While bogeying the par-4 14th, Ahlawat made a strong start with three birdies in the first five holes. I’ll take the outcome. Today, I hit the ball pretty well and made some very good putts.
Although the placement of the flags was difficult, it wasn’t really windy,” the 26-year-old stated.
Similar to Yuvraj Sandhu and Manu Gandas. Ahlawat had a breakout year in 2022, winning once and placing sixth on the Order of Merit in nine PGTI tour events.
My performance last year has given me a lot of courage and self-assurance. Additionally, a motivational factor is a possibility of earning a direct spot on the European tour with a successful performance on the PGTI tour, according to Ahlawat.
Shubhankar Sharma had another disappointing day, finishing T28 with an even-par round. With five bogeys and only three birdies, Sharma struggled.
Actually, he stated, “I don’t think I played that badly.” My putting wasn’t good enough. On some holes, the pin positions were also difficult. All to compete in tomorrow.”
Honey Baisoya and Angad Cheema, who was tied for second on Friday, dropped to seventh and 10th, respectively.