| Fadhil Yunus |
THAI star Kiradech Aphibarnrat took a step closer towards lifting the Richard Mille Brunei Championships title after his score of seven-under-par 64 in the third round opened up a six-shot lead at The Empire Hotel & Country Club yesterday.
The Thai ace is currently on 20-under-par 193 and his immediate rivals were players who enjoyed good turnarounds in positioning as compatriot Itthipat Buranatanyarat’s steady rise was aptly rewarded with second place on the back of 14-under-par 199.
Singapore’s Quincy Quek catapulted into the top three with 11-under-par 202 after a seven-under-par 64 and tied with US’s John Catlin.
The strong international flavour of players came into the frame once again as Indonesia’s Joshua Andrew Wirawan and Japan’s Shohei Hasegawa completed the top five.
Kiradech, undoubtedly a firm favourite for the title, has previously shared the same golf course with two-time Asian Development Tour winner Catlin having met him at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation and several tournaments in Thailand.
He also heaped praise on the Thai bright gem and playing partner Itthipat who had been in outstanding form to establish himself among the chasing pack.
“Itthipat is one of the good kids that have a bright future. He showed a lot out there,” said Kiradech in an interview with the media.
After attaining a career-high ranking of 36 following his fifth-place finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship last weekend, Kiradech swiftly turned his attentions towards breaking the top-30.
“I want to put myself in the top-30. I have been inside the top-50 many times. And this current 36th ranking is my best position,” said Kiradech.
“I’m trying to make it happen (to get into the top-30) and I got a couple of big events coming up and getting back my confidence going back to the States,” he continued.
The world number 36 also likened the atmosphere at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, where he drew interest from a large section of golfing fans, to being at a Major venue.
“There are a lot of golfing fans and you can’t imagine today. It was huge and it felt like I’m playing at a Major and walking around on the fairway as well.”
The 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner also provided words of wisdom to local golfers who wanted to raise their game.
“I believe since this event is happening, more players in Brunei will keep on improving because for a golfer to improve they must play in a golf tournament, to let them play, practise and keep them better.
“This is a good way to start to build the player. Everyone keep on asking why Thailand and India have a lot of good golfers.
“We have about 30 events a year which builds a lot of players. When they play with the big names in Thailand, the star players like Thongchai (Jaidee) and me, they get more experience to go on the Tour.
“It’s been a great opportunity for the young Brunei golfers to come out practising and setting their target,” the 28-year-old said.
The third day of the championship began with earnest as Itthipat Buranatanyarat, one of the in-form players heading to the penultimate day, continued his resurgence as he scaled newer heights of second place, four strokes behind the overnight leader.
The Thai golfer was one of the players whose session was put on hold after play was suspended on Thursday as darkness fell but he was placed briefly in second solely after eventually completing the session.
However, as play resumed marking the commencement of the third round, the leader-board saw some movement though Itthipat was still in the whereabouts of the top two.
John Catlin, directly behind Kiradech before the start of play, slipped from second place momentarily but clawed his way back after firing two birdies.
South Korea’s Lee Song, who started the day in tied-3rd place, traded three birdies to take him within three strokes of Kiradech and moved to joint second with Catlin and Itthipat.
The trio looked likely to be Kiradech’s main rivals who could pose a serious threat in derailing his hopes for the Brunei championship but the Thai star notched an extra gear.
Their individual showing stirred a response from Kiradech whose birdie in the sixth hole helped extend his lead to four strokes.
The players took a break in respect of the Friday prayers and once play resumed, Ittiphat steered closer to the clubhouse leader only for Kiradech to hit back with a birdie to protect a four-shot lead.
Kiradech stepped up a gear by converting another birdie as Ittiphat looked to close the gap but a new face emerged with Japanese Shohei Hasegawa raising his game aided by a return of four-under-par.
Singapore golfer Quincy Quek and Indonesia’s Joshua Andrew Wirawan were also on-song in the third round after firing a seven-under-par 64 and six-under-par 65, respectively, to hold onto third and fourth spots.
While the pair swung near the top of the leader-board, Song faded from view and similarly Catlin endured a tough time on the greens as getting into evens halted his progress in tied-seventh.
As the end of the third round loomed, there was no stopping Kiradech after yet another birdie consolidated his strong position as Itthiphat replied with a birdie of his own.
But the world number 36, who had to deal with fatigue during the course of the championship, showed his class as another fine putting helped end the day with a lead by six shots.
The emergence of Brunei Darussalam golfer Pengiran Wirahadikusuma bin Pengiran Haji Salleh, who made the cut for the final rounds, generated national interest but found himself at the other end of the spectrum with three-above-par in tied-48th.
Pengiran Wirahadikusuma, who has a realistic chance of making par on the final round, carded a three-above-par 74 to take him into a total of two-above-par 215.
“With the type of conditions I’ve been playing in the last three days, even par should be alright for me but if it’s better than that, I’m lucky,” he said in an interview with the Weekend Bulletin.
The local hope admitted that the approach he was hoping to work on the last couple of days, had not taken off as much as he had wanted.
The 32-year-old, who returned to the competitive scene in 2016, battled hard to stage a recovery in the second leg but it was not the performance he had hoped for.
“I tried to grind today but in the second nine I tried to recover back. Overall, it was not the performance that I have hoped for.
“I’ve been achieving top-20 before and I tried to get into the top-10. I have to go deep on Saturday,” he further added.