New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Honey Baisoya delivered the day’s best score of six-under 64 to build an impressive five-shot lead at the end of the third round of the INR 1.5 crore Players Championship 2026 being played at the Qutab Golf Course in New Delhi on Thursday.

Baisoya (63-65-64), who was overnight second and one shot off the lead, put together seven birdies and a bogey on Thursday to take his 54-hole total to 18-under 192. The 29-year-old Baisoya, who hails from the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurugram, is a seven-time winner on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) but is looking to end a five-year-long title drought as he last won in 2021.

Jamal Hossain (65-54-68) gained one spot after scoring a 68 on Day Three. He moved into second position at 13-under 197. First-round leader Kshitij Naveed Kaul (65), second-round leader Jhared Hack (71), Tapendra Ghai (66), and Veer Ahlawat (66) were all bunched in tied third place at 12-under 198.

Baisoya’s putter helped him make waves early in the day as he rolled in three birdies from a range of 10 to 15 feet on the first six holes. He also recovered well after finding the hazard on the fifth, where a bogey limited the damage for him.

Honey, who finished runner-up at the DP World PGTI event staged at Qutab Golf Course last year, then added four more birdies on the back-nine, including three on the last four holes, where he played some outstanding chip shots to leave himself a couple of tap-ins.

Baisoya said, “My putting has stood out this week, and today I had 12 single putts, which set up the day for me. I was also regularly hitting the centre of the fairway with my tee shots and played some quality chip shots as well. I did well to put behind the disappointment of the bogey on the fifth and come back with a birdie on the very next hole.

“On the 10 th tee, I told my caddie that my target is to chase 20-under today, and if I focus on that, it will give me a good shot at the title. I managed to get close to 20-under and set myself up well for the final day,” he said.

Second-placed Jamal Hossain mixed four birdies with two bogeys.

Kshitij Naveed Kaul holed his second shot from the fairway to pick up an eagle-two on the Par-4 18 th that helped him close the day with a 65 and put him in joint third place.

–IANS

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