Jaipur
Arjun Prasad maintained his lead at the Jaipur Open 2024 after a steady four-under 66 in the third round, but Delhi’s Rashid Khan stormed into contention with a blistering nine-under 61 at the Rambagh Golf Club on Friday.
Prasad, who is chasing his maiden professional title, now stands at 18-under 192, just one shot ahead of Rashid, who jumped 10 places to second with a total of 17-under 193. Sachin Baisoya and Kshitij Naveed Kaul, both also from Delhi, are tied for third at 16-under 194. Local hope Prakhar Asawa sits tied for 38th at three-under 207.
Arjun began with birdies on the second and fifth holes, converting long putts, and added two more on the front nine with sharp wedge play. Despite bogeys on the ninth and 13th due to missed short putts, he recovered with a crucial birdie on the 17th to retain his lead.
“I’m sticking to my game plan and focusing on consistency,” said Arjun. “The front-nine was superb, and I’m happy with how I managed the back-nine, despite fewer birdies.”
Rashid Khan dazzled with the week’s lowest round, a flawless 61, including five consecutive birdies to start. His pinpoint putting saw him sink four birdies from 10–25 feet and place approach shots close to the pin.
“The early birdie streak set the tone,” said Rashid, whose last professional win came five years ago. “I’ve been in good rhythm since last week’s tied-third finish in Pune. Today, I just kept creating chances.”
