Bhullar deals with winds adroitly to go one shot clear in Fiji
>> FIJI: India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, an eight-time Asian Tour winner, is ready to draw on his winning experience on tour to power himself towards another victory as he snatched the third round lead with a three-under-par 69 at the Fiji International yesterday.
The 30-year-old has won under blustery conditions before, most notably in Macau, and he believes he can replicate the winning form as he held a one-shot advantage over the Australian quartet of Jake McLeon, Jarryd Felton, Terry Pilkadaris and Andrew Dodt with his three-day total of eightunder 208.
“I think my striking was really, really good,” said Bhullar. “Despite the windy conditions, I kept the ball in play, and I holed a lot of really tricky putts today.
“It’s never easy to play in this kind of situations, but I remember the last tournament I won was in Macau and it was really, really windy. So of course I do have a lot of positive memories playing in this kind of situation.”
McLeon, who finished tied-second in Thailand last week, hopes to ride on his good form and surmount a challenge on the day which matters most after returning with a 70 at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course.
Overnight leader Ben Campbell of New Zealand meanwhile had a day to forget when he saw his fourshot advantage wiped out after returning with a 77 to slip down to sixth place.
Thailand’s Poom Saksansin (71) was tied eighth on 212, four strokes off the pace at the Fiji International, which is being tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia.