Riviera Maya, Sep 24: Indira Lakshminarayana Aalaap carded the best round so far by an Indian with a fine 69 but two of his teammates faltered as the side slipped to 36th at the World Amateur Team Championship here.
Aalap, who shot 73 and 75 earlier, is two-over and lying 63rd in individual standings. Arjun Prasad, who shot 74-71 on the first two days went to 78, while Naved Kaul, after 76-73, shot 77 on third day.
Meanwhile, the Australians have virtually broken way from the field. Curtis Luck fired a 63 and Cameron Davis added a 68, both bogey-free rounds, and Australia took a nearly insurmountable 16-stroke lead after 54 holes with a team score of 32-under 398.
Luck, the 2016 US Amateur champion, made nine birdies to match the fourth-lowest round in WATC history and the Australians’ three-round total was one off the championship record set by the USA in 2014.
Davis had an opportunity to tie record but missed a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole. Australia could win its fourth Eisenhower Trophy and first since 1996.
Luck, who posted two non-counting scores in the opening two rounds as just two of three-man team scores are used toward the total each day, birdied his first hole when he stuck a 9-iron within 2 feet.
He later made a 14-foot putt for birdie on No. 8 and converted another one on the next hole for a 5-under 31 on the outward nine. Luck would hit a lob wedge to tap-in-range on No. 10 and birdied both par 5s coming home.
Ireland moved into second place at 16-under after registering a third-round 135. The USA was one behind Ireland in third place at 15-under 415.
England, Austria and Poland are tied for fourth at 13-under. (PTI)
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