India’s Rahil Gangjee continued his amazing run at the PKNS Selangor Masters, carding a third round 67 to open up a healthy lead at Kelab Golf Seri Selangor.
Gangjee sits atop the leaderboard with an impressive 54-hole total of 11-under-par 199 (66, 66, 67), five shots clear of Australia’s Deyen Lawson in the US$175,000 tournament, which is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and domestic Toyota Tour.
Deyen Lawson of Australia
Lawson stormed into contention with a blistering tournament low round of 64 and lies second on six-under-par 204 (69, 71, 64), one shot ahead of Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong and Malaysian rookie Marcus Lim. Lawson and Runchanapong finished tied second in this event last year.
Recovering from a poor start with two bogeys on his first five holes, Gangjee nailed three birdies in a row from Holes 6 to 8 and chalked up two more at 10 and 13. With one round to go, the 45-year-old looks well on course to claim his second ADT title having won the 2018 Louise Phillippe Cup on home soil.
“It was a bit of a shaky start but all in all, a good day. I’ve been looking at the way things are going and, even though I make a bogey, I make enough birdies so I’m not too worried about that,” said Gangjee, whose professional portfolio includes two Asian Tour titles with the last coming at the 2018 Panasonic Open in Japan.
Having only recently returned to competitive action following a seven-week layoff due to a chest injury, Gangjee noted that he will keep to the same game plan.
“Just relax and play golf, and hit shot by shot. This golf course is tough so you’ve got to focus on every shot, and you can’t be getting ahead of yourself. The last two days, I’ve lost track of my score because I’m just concentrating on the shots. It’s the same plan tomorrow, one shot at a time, and hopefully get the job done,” added the good-natured golfer from Kolkata.
Lawson was elated with his blemish-free round, which saw him drain four birdies on the front nine and two more coming back.
“Everything was pretty solid today. You’re got to be really straight here and putt well, and your distance control has got to be spot on. The green complexes are really tough and tricky as well, so you’re got to be quite creative. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going tomorrow … just go out there and control what I can control, and hope for the best,” said the 33-year-old, who is chasing his second ADT title.
Making his first start as a professional, Lim continued to lead the local challenge with a battling 71 for a five-under-par 205 total, having shot impressive earlier rounds of 68 and 66.
“It was a bit rough at the start and I was three-over-par quickly. However, I managed to hold my own and make a couple of birdies after that rough stretch. I’m just happy with how the round ended – it was a grind,” said Lim, who recently graduated from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
“I’m six back right now, but anything can happen. There are 18 holes to go, so I’m just going to try to make as many birdies as I can, roll in some putts, and see how it goes,” added the long-hitting 22-year-old.
There is added incentive for Lim as the top Malaysian this week will take home a RM10,000 bonus in addition to the regular prize money. Lim’s closed challenger is Paul San, who is four back on one-under-par following a solid 68. A stroke further adrift on even-par, 2022 champion Shahriffuddin Ariffin is also in contention.
Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand
Runchanapong carded a solid 66 to climb back up the leaderboard, having opened with a 67 before battling his way to a second round 72. “Like my first round, I hit it good off the tee today and gave myself chances for birdies. My driver wasn’t working well yesterday and l kind of scrambled my way through, but today it was pretty good from tee to green,” said the 23-year-old.
Current Asian Development Tour Order of Merit leader Ahmad Baig of Pakistan matched par for the day and is in joint 18th spot on four-over-par, while defending champion Ho Yu-Cheng of Chinese Taipei lies joint 34th on seven-over-par.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Danial, the only amateur from 13 who started to make the halfway cut, is in 40th place on eight-over-par.
This is the 11th edition of the PKNS Selangor Masters, which is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS). PKNS has been the title sponsor of the event since 2022. Since the tournament’s inception in 2007, it has seen two local winners with Ben Leong triumphing in the second edition and Shahriffuddin emerging victorious two years ago.
With its hefty prize fund of US$175,000, the PKNS Selangor Masters will have a strong bearing on the top 10 players on the final 2024 ADT Order of Merit who will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season.
Leading Round 3 Scores
199 (-11) Rahil Gangjee (IND) 66-66-67
204 (-6) Deyen Lawson (AUS) 69-71-64
205 (-5) Runchanapong Youprayong (THA) 67-72-66
Marcus Lim (MAS) 68-66-71
207 (-3) Sarut Vongchaisit (THA) 70-68-69
208 (-2) Kosuke Hamamoto (THA) 70-66-72
209 (-1) Paul San (MAS) 70-71-68
210 (E) Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS) 69-70-71
211 (+1) Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 71-70-70
Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (THA) 72-71-68
