2007 UBS Hong Kong Open - Round 3: Karlsson adds a 66 to stay four ahead

Sweden’s Robert Karlsson took advantage of his solid start in the third round at the UBS Hong Kong Open as he fired a four-under-par 66 for a four stroke lead on Saturday.

Karlsson, 38, was three under after four holes as he shot a total of five birdies against a lone bogey for a 16-under-par 194 total at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Former winner Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain was equally impressive on the par-70 course having posted a similar score in lone second position while Australia’s Marcus Fraser rose to joint third spot after a 64 for a 199 total.

Korea’s Choi Kyung-ju, India’s Shiv Kapur and Australia’s Peter Hanson all carded matching 65s also in tied third position while Australia’s Scott Strange and Daniel Chopra of Sweden were in joint seventh spot after similar 66s six strokes off the pace. Also in tied seventh was Canadian star Mike Meir who carded a 67 and remained in the hunt in the US$2.25 million event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Karlsson enjoyed his time on course playing alongside the Spaniard firing four birdies on the front nine against his only dropped shot of the day on the ninth hole. The Swedish talent remained steady on the way home as he sunk the final birdie at the 14th hole.

“I am very happy with the way I played today and that is the most important thing. Both me and Miguel had a fantastic start and if you play well the first few holes, you get into the rhythm of the round and we made the most of it,” said the leader.

“You’d take a four shot lead on any course but it is definitely a tricky course to try and pick up a lot of shots on. But at the same time there are low scores out there and so for me tomorrow it is all about focusing on putting another low score together. If someone beats me then I can’t do anything about that but my focus is on another good solid round tomorrow,” admitted Karlsson.

After a similar run with five birdies against a lone bogey, the 2004 champion Jimenez will be determined to pile on the pressure and close the gap heading into the final round.

“We both played well, especially on the front nine. I hope to take advantage of my chances in the early stages tomorrow. Robert is playing fantastic. He is playing solid in every aspect of his game. But I want to put some pressure on him with some birdies in the final round,” said Jimenez.

Thanks to the support of his caddie, India’s Kapur, who was the 2005 Asian Tour’s Rookie of the Year, rose to contention enjoying a blemish free 65 that included five birdies.

“I’ve putted better today as I have been struggling with my putting the last couple of weeks. I’ve been hitting good shots but my putting has let me down but the last two days have been great. I think my caddie (Thakur) has done a great job reading the greens. He has been with me for 15 years now and I brought him all the way from India,” said Kapur, who is ranked 15th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit.

Strange, the 2006 Philippine Open winner, was pleased with his round of 66 as he felt at home competing at the Hong Kong Golf Club which has been the home of the Hong Kong Open since its inception in 1959.

“It’s always nice to play well as I’ve been in positions to play well but golf is golf. Hopefully, tomorrow I can deliver another solid round. It’s a similar condition to where I play at home in Australia. Everything’s running quite nicely, the course is fantastic,” said Strange.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee shot a 68 in joint 10th place seven strokes behind the leader while China’s top golfer Liang Wen-chong, who leads the UBS Order of Merit race, carded a similar score for a 202 total in tied 14th place.

Leading third round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

194 - Robert Karlsson (SWE) 64-64-66
198 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 65-67-66
199 - Marcus Fraser (AUS) 67-68-64, Peter Hanson (SWE) 68-66-65, Shiv Kapur (IND) 67-67-65, K J Choi (KOR) 62-72-65
200 - Scott Strange (AUS) 66-68-66, Daniel Chopra (SWE) 66-68-66, Mike Weir (CAN) 69-64-67
201 - Gary Simpson (AUS) 69-67-65, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 66-67-68, Jarmo Sandelin (SWE) 69-64-68, Graeme Mcdowell (NIR) 67-66-68
202 - Peter Hedblom (SWE) 71-67-64, Gary Murphy (IRL) 66-70-66, Charlie Wi (KOR) 67-68-67, Damien Mcgrane (IRL) 69-66-67, Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 68-66-68
203 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 69-68-66, Maarten Lafeber (NLD) 68-67-68, Christian Cevaer (FRA) 70-65-68, Keith Horne (RSA) 67-68-68, Retief Goosen (RSA) 69-66-68, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 70-65-68, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 71-62-70, Simon Dyson (ENG) 68-65-70, Martin Erlandsson (SWE) 68-65-70

November 17, 2007

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