The greens have been tough to read

I have had three sub-par rounds on each of the first three days. That might have looked good when I started out in my pro career, but I have begun to realise that it is still not enough to win tournaments. And now I look to contending and winning.

So in that sense despite another one-under 70 after 68 and 69 on the first day, I feel somewhat frustrated. I have hit the ball well and I am playing well and I am in the top-10 right now, but I would have loved to be another 2-3 closer to the leader so that I could make a charge on the final day. The difference has been putting and that was pretty decent on day one, but last two days I have left quite a few shots out there.

Maybe my own expectations have gone up after recent wins and good results, and I take that as a positive sign in my career and game. Yet I don’t feel anxious when things are not going my way. For instance the story this week has been putting, which has not worked for me.

I had a very neat looking card with a lot of pars. I had just two birdies and one bogey, but I should have done better than that with even slightly better putting. I had one bogey on the third and two birdies on fifth and 14th.

I may have had a better feel if that last putt had dropped. I just couldn’t believe that it broke so much. These greens sure have been tricky and tough to read.

The field is really looking very close. The top eight are within three shots and the top 15 within five. So anyone who shoots low number like 63 or 64, which is possible on this course – Anirban Lahiri had a good 66 today – can have a shot.

At one stage Richie Ramsay looked like cruising, but then his putts didn’t fall and he dropped a bogey close to the end. So at 11-under it is not all over for the others. There is Jaako Makitalo of Finland at 10-under and three others at nine-under and this lot includes the dangerous Thaworn Wiratchant, who knows what it takes to win.

The next lot of three is at eight under and Shiv Kapur is only four behind at seven-under. There are five of us Indians — Jyoti Randhawa, Chiragh Kumar, Anirban Lahiri, S Chikkarangappa and myself — at six-under.

Finally a word about the amateurs. It was great to see five of them make the cut. I expect some of them to turn professional soon.