Indian golfers Shaurya Bhattacharya and Shubham Jaglan continued to lead the national challenge at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, with Bhattacharya storming into tied second after the third round at Lake View Resort & Golf Club in Hua Hin, while Jaglan stayed in touch despite losing the overnight lead.
Bhattacharya carded a 6-under 65 to move to 11-under overall, climbing from tied 15th to joint second. The 22-year-old now sits one shot behind Japan's Tomohiro Ishizaka, who reached 12-under, while Mexico's Roberto Lebrija and Korean amateur Minchan Kim remain close behind in a packed leaderboard.
Ishizaka, who came through a pre-qualifier to reach this week's Final Stage, produced a 7-under 64 on the C&D course. That round moved
Ishizaka into outright first at 12-under. Bhattacharya and Lebrija share second at 11-under, with Kim one stroke further back after posting a 68.
Jaglan, who started the day as sole leader, slipped to tied 10th at 7-under following a 73. The round featured a damaging double bogey on the 18th hole. Even so, Jaglan remains only five shots adrift of Ishizaka, keeping realistic hopes of securing a full Asian Tour card.
Several other Indian players stayed in contention for Asian Tour playing rights. Honey Baisoya shot 68 to reach 5-under and tied 20th. Kartik Singh's 70 and Khalin Joshi's 68 left both at 3-under and tied 36th. S Chikkarangappa's 67 moved that card to 2-under, level with Ajeetesh Sandhu after a 69.
Bhattacharya's surge was built on a spectacular spell on the back nine, where a chip-in eagle on the 15th was followed immediately by a chip-in birdie on the 16th. That run highlighted a round in which Bhattacharya capitalised on easier wind conditions compared to the first two days.
Reflecting on the round, Bhattacharya said, "Pretty good round. The wind was a little down today compared to the previous two days, and I had a good run on the back nine," he said. "I chipped it in on two consecutive holes, so that was good. All in all, I hit the ball really well and made putts. "
Bhattacharya, a two-time winner on the Professional Golf Tour of India this season, also underlined how consistent long game work created birdie looks throughout the day. "I drove the ball really well today - probably hit almost every fairway - and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities," he said. Bhattacharya previously played the Asian Tour only at the Bharath Classic, co-sanctioned by Asian Tour and IGPL.
The event at Hua Hin uses two courses at the seaside complex, and all four players leading after round three played the C&D layout on the day. After 72 holes, the field will be reduced to the top 70 and ties. From there, the top 35 after Sunday secure Asian Tour cards for the 2026 season.
Among other Indians, Rashid Khan shot 73 and is tied 70th, needing to at least maintain that position to advance to the fifth and final round. Further down, Viraj Madappa returned a 72 and Sachin Baisoya 76 to sit tied 119th, while Yuvraj Singh and Pukhraj Singh Gill both signed for 73 and share 128th, requiring a strong push to enter the top 70.
With two rounds left at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, Bhattacharya holds the strongest Indian position just one shot off the lead, while Jaglan and several compatriots stay in range of the crucial top 35. The next 36 holes will decide which players gain full Asian Tour status for 2026.
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