ONE ROUND TO GO IN THAILAND CHAMPIONSHIP

FRASER LEADS BUT FLEETWOOD, 

WESTWOOD STILL IN WITH A SHOUT

ASIAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE

Chonburi, Thailand: Australia’s Marcus Fraser moved one-shot clear of the chasing pack with a third round two-under-par 70 for a five-under tally of 211 at the Thailand Golf Championship on Saturday.

India’s Anirban Lahiri kept his hopes of winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown and the Thailand Golf Championship alive by staying in the mix with a 68 at the Amata Spring Country Club.

Former world number ones Martin Kaymer of Germany and England’s Lee Westwood made the US $1 million Thai showpiece an intriguing affair by sharing third place with overnight leader Tommy Fleetwood of England on 213.

Despite holding a slim advantage at the Thailand Golf Championship, Fraser, who is making his comeback from a wrist injury, knows he needs to be at the top of his game for his final 18 holes.

“It’s only a one-shot lead at the moment, which is almost irrelevant with the calibre of players that are on the leaderboard. So it’s just nice to be up there with them,” said Fraser, after returning with a three-day total of five-under-par 211.

The 36-year-old Australian will be adopting a conservative approach on the final day as he believes the course conditions do not favour aggressive play.

“I just can’t do that out there (on taking risk). There are a couple of pins tucked away and I’ve got to keep ball in play and give myself chances on the greens.

“Luckily I’m a fairly decent putter and hopefully I can give myself some chances as the greens are in such good conditions that you can hole some 20 or 30 footers,” said Fraser.

Kaymer knows he will have to dig deep and start draining those early birdie putts on the final day.

“It’s very important to take care of the first six and seven holes because you can score there. You need to take advantage of the par fives and that’s very important. If the putter is warm enough then I might have a chance,” said the German.

Westwood remained optimistic of landing his second Thailand Golf Championship and believes the key to doing that is to stay patient.

“You need a lot of patience on this golf course. I don’t think anyone will be running away with the title. If I played the way I played and maximise my opportunities then I think I can do well. I just need to fine tune my score,” said the 2011 Thailand Golf Championship winner.

THIRD-ROUND SCORES 

Par 216 (3x72) Yardage: 7,488

211 Marcus FRASER (AUS) 69-72-70.

212 Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-73-68.

213 Martin KAYMER (GER) 71-72-70, Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) 70-71-72, Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) 71-69-73.

214 Jonathan MOORE (USA) 71-71-72.

215 Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 73-76-66, Scott HEND (AUS) 70-74-71.

216 Matthew STIEGER (AUS) 76-72-68.

217 Sergio GARCIA (ESP) 71-75-71, Charlie WI (KOR) 74-72-71, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 72-71-74.

218 Andrew DODT (AUS) 76-72-70, Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 74-73-71, Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) 77-69-72, Unho PARK (AUS) 76-74-68, Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) 76-74-68, Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 78-68-72, WANG Jeung-hun (KOR) 73-72-73, Paul PETERSON (USA) 71-72-75.

 

Selected scores

219 David LIPSKY (USA) 71-74-74.

223 Darren CLARKE (NIR) 75-75-73, Bubba WATSON (USA) 76-70-77