Golf | S Chikkarangappa ends in third position after third round of Mauritius Open

The Indian couldn’t replicate his solid show of the first two days but did enough to remain three shots off the leaders after a round of 71 on the penultimate day of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Saturday. South Africa’s Justin Hardin, who hit a bogey-free eight-under 64 ended up sharing the pole position with United States’ Kurt Kityama, who shot 70 on the day to end joint first.

Chikkarangappa, who was a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour, is currently tied third with Matthieu Pavon of France and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, with aggregate scores of 13 under 203. Chikka started the back nine with a birdie on the 10th after which he registered bogeys on 14th and 16th which led him to briefly slip to sixth place. However, the Indian made amends in the final two holes with a double birdie to maintain his under-Par card and was placed tied 3rd. A top-five finish for the Indian would be a commendable end to the year for the lad from Bangalore.