Jakarta, Gatra.com – During the third round of the BNI Indonesian Masters 2023 event which took place in hot conditions, golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar’s pace became more and more unbearable. The Indian golfer again recorded a score of 63 (8 under par), as he had achieved on the first day, thus further distancing Bhullar’s position from his competitors in the biggest professional golf tournament in the world. Indonesia which offers a total prize of 1.5 million US dollars with 7-stroke advance.
Starting the third round from the 1st tee, Bhullar needed 4 holes to score the first birdie. He also added three more birdies on the last four holes of the first nine holes. Armed with a score of 4 under par midway through the round, Bhullar still seemed to have “bite”. Four more birdies closed Bhullar’s travel day results (the third day in 4 rounds of the tournament) at 8 under par without a single bogey, and once again solidified the three-time Open champion’s position. Indonesia at the BNI summit. Indonesian Masters rankings presented by 2023 Energy Commerce aims for a total of 20 under par.
“I started hitting well today and played more solidly than the first day. I’m pretty focused on my shots. “All the shots went well compared to what happened today,” said the 35-year-old golfer.
The key to my game is putting. This is one of the areas where I am stepping up my game today compared to yesterday. “As long as you keep the ball well, that’s also the key to today’s match,” Bhullar added.
For the final match which will take place on Sunday (19/11), Bhullar said that he will pull out all the stops. “My plan for tomorrow is to focus on all the greens and play well with the ball. As long as I can maintain that, it’s not impossible that I can win this championship,” he said.
Bhullar’s opportunity to win the Indonesian Masters for the first time is wide open. He beat David Puig (Spain) who rose to second place after 54 holes by 7 strokes. Puig managed to reach second place after playing with a 62 (9 under par). Thanks to this success, this young Spanish golfer finds himself 7 shots behind the leader of the ranking, Bhullar.
“It’s hard to believe, but today I played almost like the previous two days,” David Puig said. The champion of the International Series Singapore in October 2023 admits to having made some bad shots during the first two days.
“Even though I scored 9 under par today, I feel like I missed some pretty impressive shots (opportunities) on the course. However, I am very happy with the shots I made throughout the week,” he said.
Jonathan Wijono aims for best finish
Proud Indonesian professional golfer Jonathan Wijono was able to maintain his performance in the third round of the BNI Indonesian Masters Presented by Tunas Niaga Energi 2023. Even though he only played par (72), the 22-year-old golfer still had 1 chance to reach the best finish line.
At 5 under par after 36 holes, Jonathan Wijono got off to a bad start to this emotional day. A bogey and a double bogey in the first 5 holes immediately reduced his score to 2 under par. However, on hole 6, Jowi recovered by recording a birdie.
He finished the first nine holes (first nine) at 2 over par. Jowi’s play on the second nine holes (back nine) improved. Two birdies scored on the back nine brought Jowi’s total score back to its initial result: 5 under par.
“The first nine holes and then the sixth hole got their momentum back (can birdie). So the first bogey was caused by the second shot penetrating the bush to the right. Meanwhile, on hole 5, the ball tilted to the left. Then the tee shot also misfired (the ball failed to land on the fairway), resulting in a double. “That’s all the problem today,” Jowi said.
Reaching 5 under par is indeed an achievement in itself for Jowi, who just qualified for the first time in his fourth appearance at the BNI Indonesian Masters Presented by Tunas Niaga Energi 2023. Jowi’s chances of being under par will increase if the new golfer has professional status. In 2021, he can maintain his performance like the first two days.
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