Local golfer Lu Wei-chih held on to his lead at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters courtesy of a superb hole-in-one in the third round yesterday.
Lu holed out on the par-three 8th with a 6-iron before adding two bogeys for an even-par 72 on his home course, the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, winner of the event in 2004, battled to a 71 to lie four shots off the pace on 208 in the US$600,000 Asian Tour event. Teen sensation Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines and Japanese Daisuke Kataoka fired rounds of 72 and 69 respectively, to lie a further two shots back on 210, while Chapchai Nirat of Thailand was in fifth place.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Lu failed to emulate his fantastic form in the opening two rounds and admitted he was lucky to cling on to the top spot where he leads on 12-under 204.
“Honestly, I felt tired. The sun was really hot yesterday [Friday] and I didn’t feel that well today. I told myself to play it safe and I’m lucky to be leading because of my hole-in-one,” said Lu, who shot his eighth career ace yesterday.
He knows he must overcome the strong challenge from Thaworn to reclaim the Taiwan Masters, which he won in 2005.
“Thaworn is a good player so there is some pressure going into the final round, but I’ll keep a cool head and just play my game. It won’t be easy,” said Lu, a two-time Asian Tour winner.
Thaworn, a former Asian Tour No. 1, posted two birdies against one bogey to give himself a chance of equaling Thongchai Jaidee’s record of 13 Asian Tour victories.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with my club selections on some holes, but I’m still in it with a chance. Lu is playing very well and this is his home course, so I still have a lot of work to do,” Thaworn said.
Tabuena, the youngest Asian Tour member at the age of 17, missed a 5 foot birdie putt on the last hole to trail Lu by six shots. He knows he still has much to play for, as a good result will boost his rankings on the Order of Merit, where he sits in 108th position.
The top 60 players at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the Asian Tour next year.
“My putting let me down. I missed a lot of makeable birdies from 5 feet, but there’s still another day to go and much to play for,” said Tabuena, who is seeking his first professional victory.
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