Chanat Sakulpolphaisan of Thailand fired a solid five-under-par 66 to race into a three-shot lead at the PGM Nilai Springs Championship on Friday.
The 25-year-old returned with six birdies to lead on 14-under-par 199 and put himself in prime position to secure a first Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory at the Nilai Springs Golf and Country Club.
Malcolm Kokocinski of Sweden and overnight leader Jordan Sherratt of Australia are also in the title hunt after carding a 65 and 69 respectively in the RM200,000 (approximately US$50,000) ADT event.
Chanat, who played collegiate golf for Mississippi college before turning professional last year, enjoyed a hot start when he fired five birdies on the first nine holes. He will hold the lead heading into the last day for the first time on the ADT.
“I played really well on the front nine but struggled on the back. I was lucky I could hang in there. I must stay positive and focus on my game and not the result in the final round. It will be an exciting final day,” smiled the Thai.
Kokocinski was flawless in a round of six birdies as he heads into the final day with hopes of clinching a first victory on the ADT.
“I’ve been consistent lately and not making many mistakes. It was the same today. All parts of my game worked very well. To be honest, I played so well and there were nothing special with my birdies. It all came from inside five-feet which was nice,” said Kokocinski.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
The winner of the PGM Nilai Springs Championship will take home US$8,371 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
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