Shubhankar Sharma is T-44 at Nedbank Challenge

Shubhankar Sharma


Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma holed three birdies in last four holes to card a one-under 71, moving to Tied-44th at the end of the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, here Saturday.

Sharma, who is playing his seventh week on the trot, opened with three bogeys in first holes and ended in a similar manner for 71 at the penultimate event of the European Tour.

Sergio Garcia fired a 71 on day three to open up a two-shot lead as he looks for a wire-to-wire victory in the seventh Rolex Series event of the season.

The Spaniard led by four after round one but fellow Major Champion Louis Oosthuizen cut that to one shot after 36 holes and the South African will be the nearest challenger heading into Sunday at Gary Player Country Club.

Garcia will enter the final day at ten under as he looks to make it back-to-back wins after triumphing at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by his own foundation, with Oosthuizen carding a 72 to sit in second.

Belgian Thomas Detry, Finn Mikko Korhonen and England’s Lee Westwood were then at seven under, a shot clear of another Englishman in Ross Fisher.

Garcia has nine wins from his previous 14 54-hole leads on the European Tour and would be the second wire-to-wire winner of the season after Eddie Pepperell at the Sky Sports British Masters.