Mission Hills Asian-Pacific open amateur championship

GARY GLITTERS WITH BARGAIN
BUY PUTTER IN CHINA

England’s Gary Boyd – five shots off the pace in fourth place with one round to go – has only an outside chance of victory in the inaugural Mission Hills Asia-Pacific open amateur championship at Shenzhen, China.
But Gary could have had an even bigger mountain to climb had leader
Anthony Fernando from the Philippines not dropped four shots over the final five holes.
Fernando, 23, has had rounds of 71, 70 and 71 for a four-under-par tally of 212 over the Mission Hills 7,303yd course which will host the next two professionals’ World Cup tournament.
Boyd and Japan’s Ryutaro, who is lying joint second on 214, shared a new amateur course record of 69.
Gary should have been sole possessor of the record but, after being five under par for the round with one hole to play, the 20-year-old from Cherwell Golf Club, Banbury, near Oxford, pulled his drive at the par-4 18th and finishing up three-putting for a double-bogey 6.
A shopping trip to Shenzhen on Wednesday night proved very worthwhile for the young Englishman who has +4 of a handicap. He bought a new putter from a golf shop – “The same putter back home would have cost £100 but I paid just £30 for it in Shenzhen – and it has repaid that already!”
Boyd has scored 72, 76 and 69 for 217.
Reinstated amateur Craig Evans, a former Welsh amateur champion, dropped down to a share of seventh place on 222 after a round of 77. His earlier efforts were 75 and 70.
Walker Cup veteran Gary Wolstenholme from Kilworth Springs is gradually coming to terms with the course but is 23 shots behind leader Fernando. Gary has shot 81, 78 and 76 for 235. At least he kept a 6 or higher figure off his card for the first time during his third round.
Promising Welsh youngster Zack Gould had a No Return in the second round after a nightmare first-day 88.

LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 72
212 A Fernando (Philippines) 71 70 71.
214 T H Choo (Singapore) 70 73 71, R Nagano (Japan) 74 71 69.
217 G Boyd (England) 72 76 69.
218 R Kulacz (Australia) 73 72 73.

Other scores:
222 C Evans (Wales) 75 70 77 (jt 7th).
235 G Wolstenholme (England) 81 78 76 (jt 33rd).
No Return: Z Gould (Wales) 88 NR -