Australia’s Richard Green showed no signs of nerves on Friday the 13th when he carded a four-under-par 68 to head into the final round just one shot behind Japan’s Junya Kameshiro at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage presented by Sports Authority of Thailand on Friday.
Green’s three-day total of 19-under-par 197 at the Suvarnabhumi Golf and Country Club ran contrary to the stigma usually associated to the superstitious date considered by many to be unlucky as he remains well on course to top the class.
Malaysia’s Ben Leong, who came into the week on a rich vein of form having won five consecutive tournaments at home, is hoping to spoil Green’s party and emerge at the top of the final leaderboard again after two previous success at the Asian Tour Qualifying School.
Leong enjoyed a bogey-free round of 67 which was highlighted by five birdies to share third place with Todd Sinnott of Australia.
The top-35 players and ties following the conclusion of 72 holes will earn playing rights on the region’s premier Tour in 2017.
Leding scores after round 3 of the Qualifying School Final Stage being played at the par 72, 6965 Yards East and South course (am – denotes amateur):
196 – Junya KAMESHIRO (JPN) 67-62-67.
197 – Richard GREEN (AUS) 66-63-68.
198 – Ben LEONG (MAS) 65-66-67, Todd SINNOT (AUS) 64-65-69.
199 – Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 68-65-66, William CANNON (USA) 64-68-67.
200 – Raththee SIRITHANAKUNSAK (THA) 67-68-65, Teemu PUTKONEN (FIN) 65-67-68, Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA) 66-66-68.
201 – Sihwan KIM (USA) 69-67-65, ZHENG Ou-yang (CHN) 65-66-70, Chanachok DEJPIRATANAMONGKOL (THA) 67-63-71.
Interesting facts of the day:
Colombia’s Daniel Zuluaga is playing in Asia for only the second time in his life. The Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage is also his second event since winning the Caribbean Open on the PGA TOUR Latin America.
Malaysia’s Ben Leong has topped the class twice in 2006 and 2007 and will be seeking to finish first again at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage tomorrow.
Key Quotes
Richard Green (Aus), Third round 68 (-4), Total -19 (197)
I didn’t quite hole the putts today but I still manage to hit the ball well off the tee into the fairways which is nice. So that’s what has been keeping me going and it’s been good so far. I hope the putts will drop for me tomorrow. But all in all, I’m in a good position for tomorrow and I hope to play steady golf tomorrow. My goal is to finish in the top-three at least and if I have the chance of winningtomorrow, I’ll be going for that.
Ben Leong (Mas) – Third round 68 (-4), Total -17 (199)
It’s always great if I can win the Qualifying School again. A win is a win and it’s definitely my aim to do that again tomorrow. I just have to maintain my focus and do what I’ve been doing the last few weeks. I have to give credit to Tun Ahmad Sarji for setting up the tournaments for us to be able to compete week in, week out back home in Malaysia. All those events really got me prepared for this week.
Daniel Zuluaga (Col) – Third round 65 (-7), Total -12 (204)
I played pretty good today. I hit several great shots and putted really well. I’m really excited about my chances of playing in Asia. I like it so much over here. There’s so much culture and things to see and do. I’m really happy over here. I really hope that I can get to play on the Asian Tour this year. I turned professional four years ago and I got full status on the PGA TOUR Latin America. I played pretty well last year and won my first tournament by eight shots in December. That was my last tournament before I flew over here, so I’m feeling really good and in the best of form.
Marcus Both (Aus) – Third Round 65 (-7), Total -12 (204)
I had a limited schedule simply because of my status on Tour last year which is different from the last 13 or so years. On the positive side, it allowed me to focus on my game and work on getting them to where I want them to be. This week has been solid so far and it seems like the work I’ve put in has paid off so far. I’m not under any illusions that I’ll be that high up going into the last round but I’ve shown promise a few times last year and you never work. I’ve been working really hard the especially the last four weeks and I hope it’ll eventually pay off.
