Puchong: R. Nachimuthu maintained a slim advantage after the penultimate round of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Kinrara  Championship at Kinrara on Wednesday.

The 43-year-old returned with an effort of 70 to move to eight-under-par 205, just a stroke clear of a chasing pack comprising of S. Sivachandhran (68), Khor Kheng Hwai (68), Iain Steel (68) and Arie Irawan (69) at Kinrara Golf Club.

Former Tour winners Akhmal Tarmizee (65), Danny Chia (66) and Shaaban Hussin (71) were tied for sixth on 207 with only five strokes separating the top eleven players.

Unlike his blemish-free second round yestedar, Nachimuthu offset three early birdies with two bogeys on the inward nine to remain on course for his sixth PGM Tour crown.

“I started well but dropped a couple of shots coming in, which means I still have to go out there tomorrow and shoot a very good score. It’s a close leaderboard and I know that my fellow pros are also seeking their first wins in 2014, so I expect it to be a tight contest,” said Nachimuthu, who looks set to top the  Order of Merit standings, which he trails current leader Kemarol Baharin by a little more than RM2,000.

Leading third round scores
205 – R. Nachimuthu 69-66-70
206 – S. Sivachandhran 72-66-68, Khor Kheng Hwai 71-67-68, Iain Steel 70-68-68, Arie Irawan 70-67-69
207 – Akhmal Tarmizee 69-73-65, Danny Chia 73-68-66, Shaaban Hussin 67-69-71
210 – Kemarol Baharin 71-71-68, M. Sasidaran 69-73-68, Airil Rizman 73-68-69
211 – Hans Jamil 71-72-68, A. Sasar 65-76-70
212 – Dino Abdillah 71-71-70, Rashid Ismail 68-72-72, Sukree Othman 70-68-74