Last-day romps are Jyoti Randhawa’s home speciality. That was the method to his five-on-five record on the domestic circuit in the last two seasons, and that is what he would have surely lined up for finishing Sunday at the DLF Masters. The preview on Saturday, however, had one very keen spectator, who thinks it might be time for a script change.

With Randhawa running his magic in the group just ahead, Gaganjeet Bhullar bravely held together a round of three-under 69, holding on to a slender lead going into the last day. He said later that he had kept the leaderboard under close watch as the senior pro attacked the course. Bhullar’s total of 11-under 205 might be just a shot better than Randhawa’s, but it certainly set the tone for what promises to be a fight of tact and nerve.

Randhawa had started off his title defence in the most nondescript manner, shooting a staid one-under opening round, tied for 11th. By the finish of the second round, he was the dangerously lurking entity on the leaderboard, up at tied third. Saturday’s third round of five-under 67, however, set up through a screaming start, removed all possible doubts from his intentions. Randhawa and Bhullar exchanged the lead a number of times, with their respective playing partners, Shamim Khan and Digvijay Singh, playing minor parts too.

The first exchange came on the fifth hole, with Randhawa’s run of three birdies being followed by Bhullar’s par putt rolling around the rim of the cup and staying out. That pegged him down to seven-under, while Randhawa had moved a shot ahead.

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