EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Jeunghun Wang separated himself from a crowded leaderboard with a brilliant bogey-free round of 65 to take a three shot advantage into Sunday's final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

The South Korean was one of a record-breaking nine players to start the third round with a share of the lead at Doha Golf Club, but he pulled clear from the pack with seven birdies to move to 15 under par for the tournament. 

Wang was crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2016 after claiming back-to-back European Tour wins last spring in Morocco and Mauritius and finishing runner up in the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player in November. 

He has hit the ground running in 2017, finishing 11th in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and the windy conditions in Doha have proved to his liking, as he produced a faultless display of shot-making to spread the field. 

South African Jaco Van Zyl and Spaniard Nacho Elvira will lead the pack chasing Wang in the final round after both players signed for rounds of 68.

Elvira was threatening to keep pace with Wang until a double bogey 6 on the 15th hole blotted his scorecard, but the Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year hit back with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to join Van Zyl on 12 under par.

Van Zyl’s compatriot Thomas Aiken is a further shot back on 11 under par after a round of 69, while Ryder Cup pair Rafa Cabrera Bello (66) and Andy Sullivan (70) are in a group of five players tied for fifth position on ten under par. 

Player Quotes

Jeunghun Wang: “I don't want to think about the win. I just want to focus on my own game. My irons and putting are really good this week. So I think I have a good chance to win.”

“I only missed a few greens today. That's the key to my seven under. My putting was really good, too. I think everything is good right now. I like this course. I like the wind. I like the green conditions. It's pretty nice for me.”
“I think (finishing second at) Nedbank was bigger than the two wins for me. Nedbank is really big tournament, and there's a lot of great players. I learned a lot from it.”
“The wind here is similar to Mauritius. But the course design is quite different. I love to play this course. So I'm excited to play it tomorrow.”
Nacho Elvira: “I started hitting the ball pretty well. I think I was under control all the way through the last couple holes, and then my mind wasn't in the right place on a couple drives in the end. But overall, I'm pretty happy. I'm three shots back. I'm happy where I am. I think tomorrow is going to be a great day to see what it gets me.”
Jaco Van Zyl: “It's a good score but I really felt like I left quite a lot out there. I hit it nicely today and just didn't quite capitalise where I could. I'll obviously try and get them back tomorrow, and get some with interest.”
Rafa Cabrera Bello: “I teed off early this morning and I was aware that I needed a low one to catch up with the leaders and I'm really pleased that the low one came out. I felt I played really good. I was in control the entire day. I rolled some good putts, gave myself lots of birdie chances, so in the end, I had a good score but I think I earned it.”
“I've been struggling throughout the entire week to generate momentum, really. I felt I've played good enough. Maybe I had a few putts at the key moments which didn’t drop, but that wasn't the case today. That eagle at ten gave me a lot of energy and I had a good, strong finish with birdies on 14 and 16 and 18. So I’m really happy with that.”
Round Three scores
par 216 (3x72)
201 J Wang (SKor) 69 67 65
204 J Van Zyl (SAf) 67 69 68, N Elvira  (Esp) 67 69 68
205 T Aiken (SAf) 68 68 69
206 A Sullivan (Eng) 68 68 70, R Cabrera Bello (Spn) 70 70 66, N Kimsey (Eng) 66 74 66, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 66 70 70, J Lagergren (Swe) 67 72 67
207 R Langasque  (Fra) 70 70 67, P Dunne (Ire) 67 70 70, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 69 69 69
208 M Korhonen (Fin) 65 71 72, A Wall (Eng) 68 69 71, O Fisher  (Eng) 70 70 68, J Smith (Eng) 71 66 71, N Bertasio (Ita) 71 69 68
 209 C Wood  (Eng) 69 70 70, B Dredge (Wal) 64 72 73, R Fox (NZ) 72 70 67, E Els (SAf) 68 70 71, A Noren  (Swe) 68 70 71
 210 A Knappe (Ger) 67 72 71, G Storm  (Eng) 68 70 72, M Kaymer (Ger) 70 72 68, D Lingmerth (Swe) 71 69 70, A Karlsson  (Swe) 68 73 69, S Walker (Eng) 68 71 71, C Hanson (Eng) 68 69 73, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 70 70, C Paisley  (Eng) 74 67 69, G Havret  (Fra) 69 71 70, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 69 68 73
211 R Ramsay  (Sco) 68 74 69, D Im (USA) 68 69 74, T Detry  (Bel) 67 74 70, P Larrazábal (Spn) 69 71 71, G McDowell  (NIr) 66 75 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 67 71 73, P Edberg (Swe) 70 72 69, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 70 69 72, J Campillo (Spn) 69 67 75
 212 D Burmester (SAf) 70 71 71, D Drysdale (Sco) 71 71 70, J Carlsson (Swe) 71 69 72, J Luiten (Ned) 71 70 71, R Karlberg  (Swe) 69 73 70
213 J Stalter (Fra) 69 71 73, D Lipsky (USA) 72 66 75, A Björk (Swe) 69 69 75, P Hanson (Swe) 70 70 73, S Dyson  (Eng) 67 70 76, S Gros (Fra) 72 69 72, R Bland (Eng) 70 71 72, S Hend (Aus) 69 72 72, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 70 72 71, A Levy (Fra) 69 69 75, F Aguilar (Chi) 70 68 75
214 D Perrier (Fra) 72 70 72, D Frittelli (SAf) 71 67 76, D Fichardt (SAf) 72 70 72, S Lee (SKor) 69 73 72
 215 T Bjørn (Den) 68 72 75, M Warren (Sco) 69 73 73, B Hebert  (Fra) 70 72 73
 216 P Peterson (USA) 71 70 75
 217 M Pavon (Fra) 71 70 76, T Olesen (Den) 70 71 76
 220 D Brooks (Eng) 68 74 78
 224 R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 73 82