Ashok begins with whimper, ends with bang to climb to tied 31st

Macau, May 20 (UNI) Ashok Kumar began with a whimper -- a bogey -- and ended with bang -- a birdie -- to return a second successive two-under 69 card to jump to tied 31st position after a roller-coaster penultimate round at the 300,000 dollar Macau Open here today.

At even par 213, Ashok is 11 shots off the leader Brad Kennedy of Australia and would need a good final round for a decent finish.

While it was all well for Ashok in the end, the caddie-turned-pro had quite an eventful outing marked with six birdies and four bogeys in his eventful outing.

Ashok, who narrowly missed the Aamby Valley Masters title last week, was quick to recover from his first-hole bogey with a birdie in the next. He went on to gain a stroke each in the fourth and the ninth before making the turn.

He stumbled early on his inward journey and dropped two consecutive bogeys in 10th and 11th but again bailed himself out by hitting birdies in the 13th and 15th.

That he was struggling with his putting was clear when he dropped another stroke in the penultimate hole but recovered and signed off in style with a birdie in the last.

Among other Indians in the fray, Arjun Singh aggregates two-over 215 and is tied 41st after an erratic but level-par round today.

Amandeep Johl follows at tied 46th (three-over 216) after carding one-over 72.

Meanwhile, both SSP Chowrasia and Digvijay Singh slipped from yesterady's tied 42nd position and while the former shot a three-over 72 card for tied 52nd spot, a nighmarish seven-over 77 card with a couple of double bogeys slumped the latter to the bottom of the basket at tied 62nd.

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