2024 Olympics, Golf: India’s Sharma, Bhullar trail after round 3
India’s Shubhankar Sharma made two birdies in the closing stages to earn a 72 (1-over par) but dropped to a tie for 48th at 2-under par over three rounds in the men’s Olympic golf competition on Saturday.
Sharma had two birdies against three bogeys.
Things also did not end well for Gaganjeet Bhullar, the Indian who was in the fight.
Bhullar, who like Sharma is making his Olympic debut, shot a par 71 to tie for 48th as the Indians finished in the bottom half of the 60-man field. There is no cut at the Olympics.
Bhullar had three birdies, one on the 18th, against three bogeys.
Xander Schauffele, in excellent form after winning two Majors this season, was in perfect position to defend his Olympic golf title. The American shot a combative 3-under 68 with a birdie and an eagle on the back nine at Le Golf National.
He shared the lead with Spanish star Jon Rahm, who after scoring a 67 in the first round, posted a second straight round of 66.
At the top were Schauffele and Rahm on 14-under with Tommy Fleetwood (69) on 13-under, while Dane Nicolai Hojgaard posted the day’s best score on 9-under 62, with seven birdies and an eagle and no bogeys. It was also the best round of the Games.
Hojgaard was tied for fourth place with first-round leader Hideki Matsuyama (71) at 11-under.
Rory McIlroy, who lost the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in a seven-man bronze medal play-off, was tied for sixth with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (67), who was also at 10 under, as were Tim Kim (69) and Belgium’s Thomas Detry (69).
Scheffler bogeyed the 17th hole and got into trouble on the final hole, but managed to par from 90 yards to boost his hopes of a medal in his Olympic debut.
Schauffele, the in-form player who won two major titles this year at the PGA Championship and the British Open, struggled to put his best foot forward on a level-par front nine, when Rahm cruised over it.
Then Schauffele hit an eagle on the par-five 14th hole, about the same time Rahm made bogey after three putts on the next green.
Rahm started the day two shots behind the leader, but moved up with a superb 66 to move level with Schauffele at 14-under for the tournament. Rahm, also a two-time major champion, made seven birdies.
Fleetwood is just one stroke behind the leading duo in third place at 13-under after a round of 69 with three birdies and one bogey.
Hideki Matsuyama, who shared the lead with Schauffele and Fleetwood, fought hard for an even-par 71 to remain on 11 under.
The stakes are high for Kim, from South Korea. A medal would exempt him from military service. He finished strongly, tying for sixth place with McIlroy, Scheffler and Belgian Thomas Detry.
World number four Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Australia’s Jason Day and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann are all on nine under par, five strokes behind the leader.
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First print: Aug 04, 2024 | 1:02 PM IST