Kangar: Sukree Othman tightened his grip on the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Perlis Classic after opening up a three-shot lead at Kelab Golf Putra on Friday.

Starting the third round with a single stroke advantage, Sukree took a big step towards securing a fifth Tour title with a two-under 70 to move to five-under 211 in the RM150,000 tournament.

Shaifubari, who led after the opening day, stayed in touch with an even-par effort while Iylia Jamil (70) was four shots off the pace in third place. A three-over 75 saw Mohd Rizal Amin slip to fourth on 217, one ahead of Airil Rizman Zahari, who signed for a three-under 69.

With sunny conditions providing a respite for the players after yesterday’s torrential winds, Sukree was left contented with a pair of birdies and a bogey on each nine.

“The conditions were a bit better than yesterday but it was still not easy out there,” said Sukree. “However, I am pleased with my round today as I hit the ball solidly and made a few good putts. Made my share of mistakes but with the golf course the way it is, you can expect that to happen.”

The 36-year-old added that he looked forward to post another solid round in the final round tomorrow. “If I can just keep in the same zone as the past couple of days then I should be a in relatively good position tomorrow.”

Leading third round scores
211 Sukree Othman 68-73-70
214 Shaifubari Muda 67-75-72
216 Iylia Jamil 73-73-70
217 M. Rizal Amin 73-69-75
219 Airil Rizman 76-74-69
220 Rahizam Ramli 73-75-72, R. Nachimuthu 72-75-73, Shaaban Hussin 68-79-73, S. Murthy 70-76-74,Kemarol Baharin 72-73-75
221 M. Sasidaran 70-79-72, Haziq Hamizan 72-75-74.