2008 GS Caltex Maekyung Open - Round 3: Noh leads for a last round shot at history

Asian Tour's young gun Noh Seung-yul is on course for a historic outing at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship when he grabbed the third round lead on Saturday.

After firing a solid four-under-par 68, Noh, who has produced two runner-up finishes and a top-10 result this season, opened up a two-stroke advantage over the field with his nine-under-par 207 total.

Noh could make golfing history at Nam Seoul Country Club on Sunday where he is hoping to become the youngest winner on the Asian Tour before his 17th birthday on May 29.

Defending champion Kim Kyung-tae remained in contention after a 69 to lie in tied second place alongside compatriot Kim Do-hoon III and Bae Sang-moon, who posted a 70.

Teenaged sensation Noh entered the US$600,000 Asian Tour event as one of the top contenders after an impressive season this year. He was runner-up at the SAIL Open in India and the Asian Tour International in Thailand and followed up with a top-10 at the Volvo China Open.

Backed by an eagle at the par five 14th hole, Noh nailed three more birdies against a dropped shot to seize the advantage heading into Sunday’s final round.

"The conditions were quite tough out there so I'm very happy to end the day with a two stroke lead. I'm feeling better about my game after every round and I'm confident going into the last day.

"I also have my mom and sister out there supporting me this week so it is like added motivation for me," said the former Korean amateur number one.

Kim, 21, gave himself every chance of a successful defence. "My iron play was solid today and I'm glad I pulled through after a tough day out there.

"I consider myself quite lucky on the front nine with a few shots that could have gone wrong. I fired five birdies against two bogeys and I think that is a steady performance considering the challenging conditions, said Kim.

Daegu-based Bae, winner of the SK Telecom Open last season, will be chasing hard for a second Asian Tour victory.

"Since winning last year, I've been playing regularly on the Asian Tour and I hope to use my experience to close the two stroke gap," said Bae.

American Chris Riley carded a 69 and was in the mix in tied ninth place after a 212 total while Chinese Taipei's Lu Wei-chih improved with a 68 in a tie for 16th spot.

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

207 - Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 69-70-68
209 - Kim Kyung-tae (KOR) 69-71-69, Kim Do-hoon III (KOR) 70-70-69, Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 71-68-70
210 - Kim Wi-joong (KOR) 72-70-68
211 - Park Sung-kook (KOR) 69-70-72, Hwang In-choon (KOR) 71-67-73, Jun Tae-hyun (KOR) 70-68-73
212 - Chris Riley (USA) 71-72-69, Kang Mo-hoon (KOR) 77-65-70, Kang Ji-man (KOR) 67-72-73
213 - Kim Hye-dong (KOR) 77-69-67, Kim Bi-O [A] (KOR) 72-69-72, Lee Jin-won (KOR) 69-72-72
214 - Kang Sung-hoon (KOR) 73-68-73
215 - Kang Kyung-nam (KOR) 77-69-69, Choi Gwang-soo (KOR) 76-71-68, Kim Sang-ki (KOR) 73-72-70, Lee Tae-hee (KOR) 72-73-70, Park Jun-won (KOR) 75-70-70, Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) 72-72-71, Lee Boo-young (KOR) 71-73-71, Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 72-75-68

May 3, 2008

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