2007 Open - Round 3: Four way tie going into final day

Rookie Panuwat Muenlek is on the prowl for a maiden triumph on the Asian Tour as he was in a four-way tie for the lead after the third round at the Pine Valley Beijing Open on Saturday.

Despite being surrounded by seasoned players, Panuwat remained calm and collected on the third day firing a three-under-par 69 at the Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club. With a three-day total of 11-under-par 205, Panuwat was tied alongside in-form Australian Adam Blyth who fired a 67, India’s Gaurav Ghei who delivered a steady 68 and Aussie Scott Strange who enjoyed a hole-in-one at the par three 12th hole before closing in with a 68.

American talent John Daly endured a slow start but had a steady run on the way home as he was even-par for the day in tied 10th place for a 210 total.

Compatriot Anthony Kang was pleased with his round that included two eagles as his score of 65 pushed him up to lone fifth position a stroke off the pace. Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, currently ranked 33rd on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, enjoyed a strong back nine performance as he fired his best score of 67 in sixth place two strokes behind the leaders. Backed by the local fans, China’s Liang Wen-chong rose to seventh place after his second straight 69 for a 208 total.

With five birdies against a lone dropped shot on the front nine, Panuwat was riding high and coupled with another birdie on the 11th , he kept the momentum going on the way home. The double bogey on the par five 13th hole rattled the 23-year-old youngster who ended his round with five straight pars but he aims to get it right on the final stretch on Sunday.

“I want to relax tomorrow but I know I’ll be a little bit nervous. My aim is to have another good round and concentrate on my game. It’s definitely great to be on top here among some of the top players in Asia and I love the experience. If I can win, it would be fantastic,” said Panuwat, who turned professional in 2006.

“I was high in confidence and enjoying the ride until the 13th hole though where I had lost some confidence after that. The 13th hole was a disaster. I hit a good drive and a solid second shot, but I had to chip in three times as the ball finally landed nine feet away where I then two putted. I was aiming for a bogey but ended with a double bogey. That was the turning point for me as my confidence dropped and I ended shooting five pars in a row to close the round. But I will put this behind me and I’m confident that I will be cool and calm heading into the final round,” said Panuwat, who won 10 amateur and two professional titles on the domestic circuit.

Strange was all smiles after his second round 68 that included a hole-in-one at the par three 219 yards 12th hole.

“The 12th hole was great. I struck it solid and the ball then rolled into the hole. I’ve hit the ball close and given myself chances but I’ve not made to many putts though. I’ve struck the ball down the fairways which definitely helps on this course. If you do that often enough, you will come out in front,” said Strange, who is eyeing for his third win on the Asian Tour this week.

Ghei has been in the forefront since his win at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last year and with a 68 today, the 38-year-old will enjoy the ride heading into the final round.

“Every time after you win, it helps boost your confidence. After my win last year, I had a lot of good finishes in events like the HSBC Champions and the Johnnie Walker Classic. I’ve been playing well and maybe this week I might have another win under my belt, who knows. There are lots of good players out there, it’s not going to the easy but it’s going to be fun trying,” said Ghei.

“Scott is a strong contender, Adam’s form has been great and Panuwat has been solid this week. Even Thaworn is creeping in, so it’s going to be a shoot out tomorrow and if I can make some birdies earlier on, it will be exciting to see how it boils down,” he added.

After firing seven birdies against two bogeys, Australia’s Blyth will use his past experience to steer him through a breakthrough win.

“The last few weeks have been a learning experience. Right now, I hope to enjoy it and relax a little more in comparison to the previous times I was in a similar position as I was a bit nervous before,” said Blyth, who finished in the top-10 at the Motorola International Bintan in March and claimed a top-20 result at the BMW Asian Open last week.

“I hope to finish it off the best way I can. I’ve put too much pressure on myself to win in the past but now I will take on a different approach and see what the outcome is,” added Blyth.

After an even-par performance in the third round, American Daly hopes to have an improved run heading into the final lap.

“I wasn’t happy with my round. I am quite far back but I will try to stay patient heading into the final round,” said Daly, a two-time Major winner.

China’s Zhang Lian-wei fired his second consecutive 69 in joint 20th place while UBS Order of Merit leader from South African Anton Haig shot a 70 in tied 26th position.

In the Red Bull Final 5 competition, China’s Liang Wen-chong is now the lone leader at five under after shooting birdies on the 16th and 18th holes. Australia’s Neven Basic and Scotland’s Ross Bain are both one behind at four under. The player with the lowest aggregate score on the final five holes over four days will win US $10,000 courtesy of Red Bull.

Third round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

205 - Adam Blyth (AUS) 70-68-67, Scott Strange (AUS) 69-68-68, Gaurav Ghei (IND) 65-72-68, Panuwat Muenlek (THA) 66-70-69

206 - Anthony Kang (USA) 69-72-65

207 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 72-68-67

208 - Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 70-69-69

209 - Angelo Que (PHI) 70-72-67, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 69-67-73

210 - Kane Webber (AUS) 71-69-70, Jerome Delariarte (PHI) 71-69-70, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 69-71-70, Taichiro Kiyota (JPN) 70-69-71, Brad Iles (NZL) 69-69-72, John Daly (USA) 67-71-72

April 28, 2007

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