Teenager Manoj S shoots 67 to grab Trident Open lead

Seventeen-year-old rookie Manoj S surged into the lead with a five-under 67 in the third round of the inaugural Trident Open at Chandigarh Golf Club.

Manoj (69-71-67), from Bengaluru, moved to nine-under 207 and holds a one-shot advantage heading into the final day. At 17 years, seven months and 26 days, he now has a chance to become the youngest professional winner on the PGTI. The current mark belongs to Shubhankar Sharma, who won in 2014 at 17 years, eight months and 22 days. Only Karandeep Kochhar has won younger overall, capturing a title as an amateur at 17 years and five months.

Former Order of Merit champion Manu Gandas stayed in touch with a three-under 69 and is alone in second at eight-under 208. There is a three-shot gap to the group tied third at five-under 211, which includes Chandigarh locals Yuvraj Sandhu and Akshay Sharma, first-time PGTI participant Shubham Jaglan, as well as Shaurya Bhattacharya and Mohd Azhar.

Starting the day one behind, Manoj climbed quickly with four birdies and a bogey on the front nine. He picked up four more birdies on the back nine, highlighted by a near ace on the par-3 14th and a closing 25-footer on the 18th. The teenager said his recent run of strong ball-striking has helped him stay consistent and he plans to approach the final round “like any other day.”

With Manoj chasing a potential milestone and Gandas close behind, Sunday promises a compelling finish at Chandigarh.