Intermittent rains and poor visibility did not stop American Andrew Pitts from steaming to a six shot, 19-under lead in the third round of the Acer Taiwan Open.
Weather was poor for a third day forcing three stoppages, the last of which suspended play at 6:10pm and prevented the trio of Pitts, Ted Oh and Daniel Chopra from finishing their round.
PHOTO: AFP
Pitts was workman-like as he made his way through round three at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club. Neither heavy downpours nor a two-hour midday delay could stop him.
It was not until he learned that two players in front of him, Gary Rusnak and Charlie Wi, had conceded to poor visibility conditions that he decided to delay putting the final hole until this morning.
After three continuous days of rain, it became obvious that the weather conditions were manageable as caddies wrapped clubs in black plastic bags and golfers donned rainproof clothing bound at the ankles.
For some the rain proved a blessing. Oh gushed "Oh my god!" when he over hit a chip shot from the edge of the 17th green, but the waterlogged greens proved advantageous as his ball slowed to within a foot of the cup.
Weather did not faze Chopra either, who told Sunrise boss Hsu Tien-ya at the 15th, "All this rain and the course is still OK to play."
The compliment did not fall on deaf ears as Hsu and his greens crew had been busy all week draining putting surfaces and emptying water that had accumulated in bunkers.
Today is the fourth and final round of the Taiwan Open. The action promises to be tight as windless conditions have led to a near log-jam atop the leaderboard. Top places are occupied by Pitts 19-under, Mamat 13-under, Oh 12-under, and the inseparable cluster of Aaron Meeks, Thongchai Jaidee, Arjun Atwal, Chopra, and Wi, all at 11-under.
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