Taipei: Local hope Tsai Chi-huang celebrated his 44th birthday with a seven-under-par 65 as he opened up a six-shot lead in the third round of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Saturday.
The co-overnight leader Tsai put himself in prime position of repeating his triumph in the event in 2002 as he posted a three-day total of eight-under-par 208 in relatively calm conditions at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea carded a 71 courtesy of a chip in birdie on 17 to lie in second place and is in the running of winning his first Asian Tour title at the US$600,000 event. Filipino veteran Antonio Lascuna was a further shot back in third followed by Malaysia’s Danny Chia, who shot a third consecutive 72.
Tsai, winner of the 1997 Taiwan Open and 1998 Taiwan Masters, wielded a hot putter as he birdied the last three holes in a round of eight birdies and one bogey. The veteran grew up playing at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club and took advantage of his local knowledge
“I know this course very well. I played here so many times when I was a boy. I felt pretty relaxed out there but I’m shocked with my lead. It is amazing,” said Tsai, who made 25 putts.
“My game came together. I was hitting it well off the tees and my irons were hot. If I can continue playing like this tomorrow, then I’m quite confident I can win,” he added.
Baek, who has three-top 10s on the Asian Tour this season, was one-over for the tournament after 10 holes but recovered with a pair of birdies on 16 and 17. The burly Korean, who stays in Thailand, is not concerned with Tsai’s massive lead.
“Tsia shot seven-under! I can’t believe how he did it. I’m happy with my score. I think anything can happen on this golf course. Every hole is not easy. If you miss one shot, you can drop two or three shots. I’m not going to think about winning yet. If I think about it, I might get nervous,” said the 21-year-old.
Lascuna, who has been playing on the Asian Tour for five seasons but without a win, made a crucial 15 feet par save on the last to stay in contention.
“I made so many par saves today! When you miss the fairways, there’s very little chance for you to attack the green and score. That’s just how this golf course is. You need to find fairways if you want to shoot a low score. It won’t be easy to chase the leader and I’ll need to stay patient,” said the 41-year-old.
Chia, who won the 2002 Taiwan Open on the Asian Tour, birdied all the par fives but struggled to minimize the damage as he shot five birdies against as many bogeys.
“I would like to be a bit closer (to the leader) but there’s still another day to go. I’m not thinking about winning yet until the final hole. I’ve played this game long enough to know how to control my emotions and not think ahead,” said Chia, the only Malaysian to play in all four rounds at the 2010 British Open.
By Indian Sports News Network