(MENAFN- IANS) Coimbatore, Oct 2 (IANS) Delhi's Arjun Prasad, in pursuit of his maiden title, struck the day's best score of four-under 68 to expand his lead to a daunting six shots after the penultimate round of the Rs 1 crore Tamil Nadu Open 2025 being played at the Coimbatore Golf Club.

The 26-year-old Arjun (70-70-68), who was the overnight leader by one shot, moved his total to eight-under 208 after round three.

Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja (72-73-69) gained six spots following his round of 69 to end the day in tied second at a total of two-under 214. Arjun Sharma (72-72-70) of Noida, whose round featured an eagle, jumped four spots as a result of his third round of 70 to also be placed tied second.

Twenty-year-old Anshul Kabthiyal (74-69-71) of Delhi came up with a 71 to rise three positions to be part of the three-way tie for second place. Bangladesh's Jamal Hossain, who was overnight second, slipped to fifth place after returning a 74 on Thursday. Chennai's S Prasanth was placed 52nd at 20-over 236.

Arjun Prasad, currently ranked second in the 2025 PGTI Order of Merit and chasing his maiden title, enjoyed a steady front-nine where he made a birdie and bogey each. Prasad then made rapid progress on the back nine thanks to his exceptional wedge shots that set up four birdies for him between the 10th and 15th holes. Arjun finally closed the day with a bogey and birdie on the last three holes.

Arjun said,“I started well and then had a solid phase with a row of pars where I kept the ball in play. On the back nine, I started hitting it closer and reaped the rewards for it with more birdies.

“I feel I've planned my rounds well so far by sticking to my game plan. I've hit good tee shots and given myself a lot of chances on the greens. Today I also hit my approach well. The focus will be on repeating the same things and sticking to the basics in the last round.”

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