– Keita Nakajima (-17) has taken a few steps forward today towards the American Eden. A round of 65 strokes in the third day of the DP World Indian Championship has taken him to the solo lead of the tournament, with a two-stroke advantage over Tommy Fleetwood (-15), who should be the main threat to the Japanese player tomorrow.
– A victory would leave Nakajima with the goal of the PGA Tour card, his big dream, well on track. But he has to finish the job, and it’s likely that in the final round, things won’t go as smoothly. There are also other very dangerous contenders ready to take advantage of a slip-up by the leader: Shane Lowry (-14) or Brian Harman (-13), for example. And even Viktor Hovland (-12), whose 66-stroke card today has put him in the fight, albeit in a second row of contenders.
– From that same second row, Jorge Campillo (-11) will also play tomorrow, having displayed much more solid golf today than yesterday. So much so that his final record of 68 strokes fell short. The Spaniard, especially on the back nine, was very sharp from tee to green, but missed some very good birdie opportunities. In any case, his feelings today were far above those of Friday. It doesn’t always happen, but that little session on the practice field after the second round paid off this time.
– Let’s return to Nakajima. Although they are different players, his case has something to do with Marco Penge’s, before the Englishman started winning tournaments. Many were patiently waiting for the Englishman’s breakthrough, given his prowess and quality as a player. The same is true for the Japanese player: many predict an excellent future for him in professional golf. His victory a year and a half ago in the Hero Indian Open seemed only the prelude to even more important events, although he then slightly stalled. Sooner or later, as his golf dictates and if nothing out of the ordinary happens, he will also make the leap, perhaps even into the world top 50, as Penge has done. It’s very likely that next year they will face each other more than once on the PGA Tour, although the Japanese player, it must be emphasized, still has to finish the job tomorrow on a course, the Delhi Golf Club, where a bad day can be very costly.
– Campillo does not currently consider the PGA Tour card as a goal. His focus is more on securing a place in the Final in Dubai, and tomorrow he could take an almost definitive step in this direction if he manages to play like he did in this third round. In any case, the true goal for the Spaniard today is to close a remarkable week of golf, to see himself back at the top, within the top ten, for example, which hasn’t happened since last June at the KLM, where he finished in seventh position.
– Each with their own: Eugenio Chacarra (-7, today 70), can still gain more positions tomorrow in the Race to Dubai, chasing a PGA Tour card; Alfredo García Heredia (-6, today 70) urgently needs to climb the rankings to save his card, considering he arrived in India ranked 156th and only has next week’s Korea tournament left, in addition to what he can do tomorrow in the final round; or Nacho Elvira (-6, today 69) and Pablo Larrazábal (-6, today 72) still need to earn a place in Abu Dhabi. Manu Elvira (-3, today 72), still aspires to get into the Final in Dubai, just like Rafa Cabrera Bello (-2, today 72).
