ABU DHABI // You might say that Gaganjeet Bhullar acknowledged the elephant in the room after he completed his third round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Saturday.
Except that it was more like an entire herd.
After shooting a bogey-free 66 to move to 10 under and within two strokes of the lead, Bhullar, who is playing his first season as a fully exempt player on the European Tour, is high atop the board with some of the tournament’s biggest names.
That list would include Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, who have won seven majors between them, plus veterans such as Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thongchai Jaidee.
Seeking his first European victory after five wins on the Asian Tour, there is no time like the present to dive into the deep end of the talent pool, he said.
“I need to get used to it,” Bhullar said. “There’s no other way out.”
The 25-year-old Indian was followed by a sizeable throng of countrymen at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and did not disappoint. He had six birdies, made a pair of fine par saves on the 14th and 16th, and watched a six-metre putt horseshoe around and out of the cup on the final green.
“You get to learn a lot about yourself and your game,” said Bhullar, whose world ranking is 150.
Whether he really believed it or not, Bhullar said this is just another tournament. What he did not say was that two players from the world top seven are on the board alongside him.
“At the end of the day, it’s just another 72-hole event,” he said. “I think it’s just between the ears.”
That might be a smart way to proceed.
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