Patna’s Aman Raj finished as the third-round lead with the day’s best score of nine-under-63 at the Tata Steel Tour Championship at Golmuri golf course on Saturday, with a prize money worth Rs 1.5 crore.

Raj, 24, winner of the PGTI last year and an Asian Tour regular, was one shot ahead of the rest at 22-under-194.

Calcutta-based S.S.P. Chawrasia, 65, and Sri Lanka’s N. Thangaraja, 66, have jointly occupied second place at 21-under-195.

Aman (67-64-63), lying fifth and two shots off the lead after round two, was off to an inspiring start on Saturday as he chipped in within one foot of the pin for birdie on the second and then chipped in for eagle on the fourth.

The man with two top-5s at the Asian Tour this year, picked up two more birdies on the eighth and ninth to make the turn at a strong five-under.

Aman, 11th in the PGTI rankings, chipped well from the rough for the second time in round three as his shot stopped one foot from the flag on the 10th to give him another birdie. The 2016 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year drove the greens on the par-4 12th to set up a 12-feet eagle putt which he narrowly missed and as a result, picked up another birdie. “The birdie and eagle on the second and fourth made me believe it was my day,” Raj said later.

Chawrasia (63-67-65) continued to be tied second place, after a 65 on Saturday that featured an eagle, six birdies and a bogey. After a birdie and a bogey on the first four holes, he round took off with his eagle on the ninth where he sank a seven-footer.

Thangaraja slipped to second place after a 66 saw him making seven birdies at the cost of a lone bogey. The Colombo golfer was in terrific chipping form as he set up four tap-in birdies.