Eight-under 64 takes Hebert into three-stroke lead in China Open

Shenzhen, China, May 4: France’s Benjamin Hebert stunned the crowd with a sparkling eight-under-par 64 to snatch the third- round lead, taking along a three-shot cushion into Sunday's final round of the Volvo China Open.

Finland’s Mikko Korhonen and Spain’s Jorge Campillio took advantage of China’s Wu Ashun’s slip-up by posting rounds of 65 and 68 respectively to share second place with their three-day total of 14-under-par 202 at the Genzon Golf Club.

Wu was left to rue four costly bogeys which saw him lose his grip on his overnight lead as he slipped to fourth place, four shots back of Hebert with a 72.

Wu had produced a flawless front-nine to open up a three shot lead then but dropped four consecutive shots starting from the 12th hole to relinquish his place atop the leaderboard.

Hebert started the day four shots behind Wu and was five back just after the turn but he stormed ahead by firing six birdies and an eagle on his back-nine to take over the lead.

Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena and Thailand’s Tirawat Kaewsiribandit meanwhile returned with matching 65s to give themselves an outside chance of winning in Shenzhen as they are eight shots back of Hebert, in a share of 14th place together with seven other players.

Did you know?

• Benjamin Hebert has six wins on the European Challenge Tour and is leading for the first time in his career after establishing a 54-hole lead.
• Jorge Campillo made his breakthrough on the European Tour with his win in Morocco last week and has four top three finishes from his last five starts.
• Wu Ashun played predominately on the Asian Tour and in Japan since he turned professional in 2007 before he started playing regularly on the European Tour following his win at the Volvo China Open in 2015.
• With that victory, Wu became the first Chinese golfer to win a European Tour title on home soil.
• Wu has since followed up that victory with wins in Austria and The Netherlands which made him the first Chinese player to win three times on the European Tour.
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Players’ Quotes

Benjamin Hebert (Fra) Third round 64 (-8), Total 199 (-17)
That’s golf, a crazy game isn’t it. I played very badly in the front nine, where I didn’t feel good in my swing and just tried to keep focused on what I’m going and I found my rhythm in the back nine so I’m happy. I had driver on the ninth which didn’t help me a lot, and I feel very confident with my three wood I can hit it low and long which helped me a lot on the back nine. It’s my first time leading after 54 holes and we’ll see. I’ve worked to be in this position and it’s going to be a very early start so hopefully we’ll have some good conditions and we’ll see what happens.
I don’t want to look ahead, I just want to focus on the rest of my day, my rest and see what happens tomorrow.

Jorge Campillio (Spn) Third round 68 (-4), Total 202 (-14)
It was a good round. I didn’t putt as well as the first two days but overall it was a very good round. I got my round going on nine and managed to save par on 11 and I played my finishing holes well with those two birdies. I wish I could make more putts but it was good as I have a chance tomorrow. It was exciting for the crowd as they brought the 18th tee box up. It provided you with chances for eagle or birdie. I hope to use my experience from last week to win but if Benjamin plays like he did today, then it’s tough. Hopefully I have a chance tomorrow.

Wu Ashun (Chn) Third round 72 (Even), Total 203 (-13)
I had a very good start but got into trouble in the back-nine. I don’t understand how I got those four bogeys. I hit some really bad tee shots, making it tough for myself to save par after that. When I finished playing the 15th, I told myself I had a good chance of making birdies in the last three holes and I was happy I managed to birdie 16. The crowds were great and I’m very happy to see so many of them out here this week.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) Third round 65 (-7), Total 207 (-9)
I’m really happy with the way I’ve been hitting the ball. There’s still one more day left. You can really score on this course today as it was set up in a way where you can take your chances and go really low. But I’m not expecting anything. I made several mental errors which I don’t normally make. Although I’m not feeling 100% physically fit now, my dad told me, ‘can you imagine if you’re fully fit’. I got to be smart off the tee and take my chances.

Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (Tha) Third round 65 (-7), Total 207 (-9)
I’m going to give my 100% tomorrow. Mentally, I’m strong. I started off with a bogey as I missed the fairway and could not save par. But after that, I told myself to stay patient and keep trying. My putting was very good today and I’m really happy I made a strong comeback after that only bogey on the first hole. I know I have a chance tomorrow but I must not be too carried away.

Scores after round 3 of the Volvo China Open being played at the par 72, 7145 Yards Genzon GC course (am - denotes amateur):

par 216 (3x72)
199 - Benjamin HEBERT (FRA) 67-68-64.
202 - Mikko NKORHONEN (FINLAND) 68-69-65, Jorge CAMPILLO (SP) 65-69-68.
203 - WU Ashun (CHN) 66-65-72.
204 - Victor DUBUISSON (FRA) 68-68-68.
205 - Nacho ELVIRA (Spn) 68-69-68, Tapio PULKKANEN (Finland) 65-68-72.
206 - Adilson DA SILVA (Brazil) 72-69-65, Haotong LI (CHN) 67-73-66, Jordan SMITH (ENG) 67-70-69, Min Woo LEE (AUS) 69-67-70, Erik VAN ROOYEN (SAf) 68-68-70, Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) 67-69-70.Ii) 70-71-66, Yuta IKEDA (JPN) 68-71-68, Gavin GREEN (Malaysia) 67-72-68, Marcel SIEM (GER) 71-67-69, Cheng JIN (CHN) 69-69-69, David LIPSKY (USA) 65-72-70, Jacques KRUYSWIJK (SAf) 70-67-70.
 

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