2006 Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters - Round 3: Haigh stays in the lead with 69

South African Anton Haig continued to dominate at the inaugural US$300,000 Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters, firing a third round three-under-par 69 for the lead on Saturday.

Haig, 20, pulled away from the chasing pack with a three day total of 18-under-par 198 at the Pulai Springs Resort.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa, who is ranked 48th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, enjoyed a solid round as he blasted a 66 with an eagle at the par four eighth hole. Randhawa was in tied second spot alongside Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat who carded a 70. Chinese Taipei veteran Lin Chie-hsiang enjoyed a blemish free 63 for joint second position.

After leading the way since the opening day, Haig is determined to put his head down and strive for his maiden title on the Asian Tour.

“I played alright today but the putting was not in my favour. I made a few great up and downs which kept me in the lead so I am quite happy,” said Haig, who struck birdies on the first and third holes followed by two more birdies on the 12th and 14th holes before a dropped shot at the 15th hole.

“It's crunch time on Sunday and I’ve just got to keep my cool and be patient and let the birdies come as I aim to play solid golf tomorrow,” he said.

Randhawa, a former Asian number one, conquered the front nine with a birdie on the second hole before firing an eagle at the par four 317 yards eighth hole with another birdie on the ninth hole. He shot three more birdies against a lone bogey as he was two strokes behind the South African.

“The eagle was great. I used a driver and a lob wedge and holed it from 20 feet out and that got me going with a birdie in the next hole,” said Randhawa.

“I am beginning to believe in what I’m doing and as long as I stick to the game plan on the mental side, I am on the right track,” he said.

Thailand’s promising youngster Chapchai, with four birdies and two bogeys, heads into the final round determined to challenge the South African for the title.

“The par fives are reachable here and I am quite happy to be in this position. Haig is a big hitter but I hope to put up a fight when we head off to the final round tomorrow,” he said.

Adjusting well to a new driver and a new set of irons was 45-year-old Lin who blasted birdies at the first, third, sixth and ninth holes. He then scored two consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th holes with a similar feat in the 13th and 14th holes before a final birdie at the 16th hole.

“My driving and putting came into play. But my driving was the one that really worked for me as my shots generated much more distance today in comparison to the last two rounds,” said Lin.

“I changed my driver and irons a month back and now I am finally getting used to it. My putter, however remains the same.

“I am quite happy with my score and hopefully I will be as comfortable with my driving as I am today to be able to produce another solid round,” he said.

Rashid Ismail, the sole Malaysian who made the halfway cut, fired six birdies but stumbled with three bogeys and a double bogey on the par four 12th hole as he was in joint 44th spot.

“I felt confident today as I struck the ball well. But I made some mistakes after my birdies so that is why I couldn’t score well today. My short game was not good today but I hope to cut down on the bogeys and produce a strong finish tomorrow,” said Rashid.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant shot his second consecutive 67 in tied eighth spot while India’s Shiv Kapur was in joint 11th position when he fired his third straight 68.

The top five finishers will book places in the Barclays Singapore Open next week. The Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters champion will also qualify for the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in November.

Leading third round scores
198 - Anton Haig (RSA) 63-66-69
200 - Lin Chie-hsiang (TPE) 68-69-63, Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 70-64-66, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 65-65-70
201 - Yasin Ali (ENG) 68-67-66, Barry Hume (SCO) 67-67-67, Marcus Both (AUS) 63-69-69
203 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 69-67-67, Ross Bain (SCO) 67-69-67, Jason Knutzon (USA) 69-66-68
204 - Gaurav Ghei (IND) 71-66-67, Shiv Kapur (IND) 68-68-68, Muhammed Munir (PAK) 72-67-65, Richard Moir (AUS) 69-67-68
205 - Adam Blyth (AUS) 66-71-68, Jochen Lupprian (GER) 67-71-67, Chan Song (KOR) 68-70-67, Chinarat Phadungsil (THA) 69-67-69, Edward Loar (USA) 69-69-67,Gary Rusnak (USA) 68-70-67, Matt Keegan (AUS) 67-68-70,Kao Bo-song (TPE) 69-62-74
206 - Eddie Lee (NZL) 68-69-69, Tony Carolan (AUS) 70-68-68, Bryan Saltus (USA) 68-69-69, Park Jun-won (KOR) 71-67-68, Kevin Chun (NZL) 65-71-70, Juvic Pagunsan (PHI) 72-64-70, Simon Hurd (ENG) 71-68-67, Zaw Moe (MYN) 66-67-73.

September 2, 2006

Bookmark page with:

Return to Top of Page