SERGIO GARCIA SURGES FOUR SHOTS CLEAR IN THAILAND CHAMPIONSHIP
Chonburi, Thailand: Spaniard Sergio Garcia, pictured above in action today, produced another brilliant seven-under-par 65 to surge into a four-shot lead over India’s Anirban Lahiri and world number three Henrik Stenson in the star-laden Thailand Golf Championship on Saturday.
The
Ryder Cup hero charged home on the back nine with five birdies,
including two at 17 and 18 at the magnificent Amata Spring Country Club
for a three-day total of 18-under-par 198 in the US$1 million Asian Tour
event.
Stenson,
the first man to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and US PGA Tour’s
FedEx Cup this season, also fired a fine 65 to give himself a chance of a
fourth win of the year while Lahiri fought his way into the final group
on Sunday with a 67.
Co-overnight
leader Justin Rose of England bogeyed his last hole for a 70 as he
slipped five shots off the pace while Panuphol Pittayarat emerged as the
leading Thai player following a 67 for a share of sixth place on 206.
After charging into contention with a second round 65 which included a hole-in-one on Friday, the 33-year-old Garcia, ranked 19th in the world, put himself in prime position to land his first title of 2013 following another sublime display of golf.
“It
was great obviously to be able to go out there and shoot 65 again,”
said Garcia. “I played nicely and felt pretty comfortable. I was able to
hit some really nice shots and then was able to roll two or three
really good putts in and it was nice to be able to finish birdie, birdie
on this difficult finishing stretch.”
The swashbuckling Spaniard does not intend to take his foot off the pedal as he chases a 21st
career Tour victory. “Not only Henrik … there're probably five or six
guys who can shoot a really good number. It's going to be exciting
tomorrow. I'll just try to do the same things I've been doing and stay
focused, stay patient and hopefully I'll be able to play well enough to
win,” said Garcia, whose girlfriend Katharina Boehm is caddying for him.
“I
want to try to be as aggressive as possible. I want to still try to
make as many birdies as I can and if I manage to do that, then I'm going
to put it quite difficult to the rest. I think if I start getting a
little defensive, then I can give them a good opportunity of catching
me.”
Lahiri,
who is fifth on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, sank six birdies
against a lone bogey to stay within touching distance of the leader.
“I
didn't hit the ball very good but I played really sharp golf and that's
good to see. I'm happy that I'm able to focus and get up and down when I
miss it, and make some putts. So, yeah, really happy,” said the
26-year-old, who has three wins in Asia.
The
Indian rising star will stick to his routine and game plan in his hope
of eclipsing the stars in the final round. A total of eight players from
the world’s top-50 are in the field at the Thailand Golf Championship
which is offering 38 world ranking points to the winner.
“I’m
just going out there and play and I'm happy that I'm in a zone where I
can play and not think about shots,” said Lahiri. “Sergio is running
away with it, so I'm glad I'm still within touching distance. I can't
really go into tomorrow expecting anything. I just want to play solid.”
Stenson
got out of the blocks with three straight birdies and rattled in four
more for a bogey-free card. But he also made some important par saves,
including one on 18 after finding the thick rough.
“That
was a good day,” said the 37-year-old Swede. “It was definitely the
best I played this week. Made some good birdies and some really good
saves to keep the momentum going. Those were crucial.
“Even
though I'm tired and worn out, as soon as you see your name on the
leaderboard, all of a sudden that tiredness goes away and you're looking
forward to be there and hopefully have a chance to win. I know Sergio
is desperate to get his hands on a trophy but I’ll try to challenge
him,” added Stenson.
Rose,
the reigning U.S. Open champion and world number four, was disappointed
to fall off the pace, with a lone bogey on 18 leaving him five back of
Garcia. “It's a frustrating sort of way to finish the round. I played
better than any other day or as good as any other day. Sergio got ahead
and a couple good birdies for him to finish. But I felt like I had the
opportunity to put a good round together and to not do it is
frustrating,” said Rose.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72) Yardage 7,488
198 Sergio GARCIA (ESP) 68-65-65.
202 Henrik STENSON (SWE) 70-67-65, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-64-67.
203 Justin ROSE (ENG) 65-68-70.
205 Alexander LEVY (FRA) 70-65-70.
206 KIM Gi-whan (SKOR) 74-68-64, Yuki KONO (JPN) 72-69-65, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 71-68-67.
207 Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 74-68-65, Rickie FOWLER (USA) 70-66-71.
208 D A POINTS (USA) 73-69-66, Charl SCHWARTZEL (RSA) 68-73-67, Chapchai
NIRAT (THA) 72-69-67, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 66-73-69, Arnond
VONGVANIJ (THA) 65-74-69, Andrew DODT (AUS) 72-65-71, Sujjan SINGH (IND)
68-69-71, Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 69-68-71, Alex CEJKA (GER)
64-71-73.
Labels: ASIAN TOUR
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