Aman Raj keeps India afloat in Nomura Cup

Aman Raj lead from the front to help Indian team reach the tied 9th spot on day three of Nomura Cup at the Yas Links Golf Club here.

Abu Dhabi: Top amateur golfer Aman Raj lead from the front, carding a sensational five-under 67 which propelled Indian team to reach the tied 9th spot on day three of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship, Nomura Cup at the Yas Links Golf Club here.

Other Indians representing the team India - Samarth Dwivedi (# 3), Rahul Ravi (#5) and Harimohan Singh (#7) again disappointed as the team total was one-under 647 (218, 219, 210) on the penultimate day. The lowest three scores of the four count towards the team total in each round.

Chinese Taipei maintained the lead at 25-under 623 in the biennial tournament that has 27 countries participating.

In the individual category, 19-year-old Patna-boy Raj surged ahead on the leader board today as his three day total of eight-under 208 brought him to tied 6th position along with Thailand?s Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng.

Bengaluru-boy Samarth Dwivedi, 22, was the second best Indian after submitting a card of three-under 69 for overall score of one-over 217. He also improved his rank from overnight tied 38th to 25th.

Delhi's Harimohan Singh was tied 57th at 13-over 229 while Bengaluru's Rahul Ravi slipped to tied 72nd from tied 67th at 18-over 234.

The Nomura Cup was named after Shun Nomura, the former Vice-President of the Japan Golf Association who donated the Cup and was first held in 1963 as a tri-nation tournament in the Philippines when the host nation took on Japan and China. Today, there are 39 member countries affiliated to the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, supported by the R&A.

The biennial tournament has been dominated by Australia, who have won the Cup 10 times and Japan, who are seven-time winners.