spot_img
28.4 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Wild golf finish looms

- Advertisement -

THAI Itthipat Buranatanyarat used a strong start to storm past Frankie Miñoza then checked an impending skid with a birdie and clutch pars as he saved a two-under 70 to snatch a one-stroke lead over Cassius Casas and Orlan Sumcad in a topsy-turvy third round of the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic at Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite yesterday.

The 2012 Thailand Amateur Open champion rattled off three birdies after nine holes then watched Miñoza fade with early bogeys in a flight behind to move from two-down to one-up over an equally hot-starting Sumcad midway through another windy day that bedeviled the games of majority of the halfway leaders.

That included Itthipat, who reeled back with back-to-back bogeys from No. 11 but regained a one-shot lead with a birdie on No. 13, holding on to it with a slew of pars that kept the two local bets at bay.

With a five-under 211 aggregate, the former Thailand national team mainstay, who will turn 22 next month, surged ahead of the surviving field to emerge the third leader in as many days in what has become a wide-open battle for the $10,500 purse in this ninth leg of the Asian Development Tour sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Miñoza, who took the halfway lead with a 68 Thursday, recovered from a bogey-riddled 40 with two straight birdies from No. 11 but dropped three more strokes in the last seven holes to tumble down the leaderboard with a 77 for a 216, now five shots adrift.

- Advertisement -

In another flight behind Itthipat’s, Sumcad and Casas slugged it out in a virtual shootout, matching 34s at the front and leaving flightmate and first round joint leader Poosit Supupramai behind with a 38. But Casas outgunned Sumcad at the back by one with a 36 for a 70 as they shared second at 212.

Casas actually tied Itthipat in the lead with a four-foot birdie putt on No. 15 but three-putted the next to fall into a tie with Sumcad, who also shared the lead at No. 16 but missed the green on the next and made a bogey for a second straight 71.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles