KUCHING [Sarawak]: Marc Ong overcame a mid-round wobble to fire a three-under 69 and grab the sole lead after the penultimate round of the 113th Malaysian Amateur Open on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Singaporean traded five birdies with two bogeys to move a shot clear of fellow halfway leader Harrison Endycott (70) of Australia with a three-day total of nine-under 207.
Seasoned campaigner Jerome Ng, also from Singapore, was a distant five strokes further back in third place, after rallying back with an even-par 72 in tough scoring conditions.
Low Khai Jei was the best placed Malaysian in the field, bouncing back with a two-under 70 to sit in seventh placing with a one-over 217 overall.
Ong, who finished second last year, was among those who returned early in the morning to complete their second rounds after inclement weather halted play at Kelab Golf Sarawak yesterday.
After equalling Endycott’s overnight target of six-under with a round of 70, Ong stayed on course for another major title with a flawless front nine 33 to lead by one.
Frustration began to set in as he raked up bogeys on 12th and 14th but two stunning approaches on 16th and 17th set up easy birdie opportunities, which leaves him with a slim advantage.
“It was a good round and despite failing to convert some of the chances that came my way, I’m happy with the way I kept the ball in play and stayed in the moment,” said Ong.
“After the turn, I was starting to get a little frustrated as the putts when begging. I guess I lost my focus a bit, which resulted in a couple of bad decisions and the dropped shots. I calmed myself down and managed to regain the momentum with that two great approaches. It’s a tough finishing stretch here and to be able to set-up three make-able birdies and get two in the bag is a real bonus,” added the 2015 Philippine Amateur Open winner.
Setting up an intriguing two-man duel for the prestigious championship, Endycott had no doubts that he has to raise his game and put the pressure on his rival tomorrow.
“Played pretty well but a few errant drives cost me. It was really tough out there, the conditions were brutal – both mentally and physically. You needed to hit it in the right spots today and I wasn’t able to do just that. If someone had offered me a 70 at the start of the day, I would have accepted it but I need to drive the ball much better tomorrow if I’m going to push Marc down the stretch,” said the Sydney native.
Leading third round scores >
Malaysian unless stated
207 – Marc Ong (SIN) 68-70-69
208 – Harrison Endycott (AUS) 70-68-70
213 – Jerome Ng (SIN) 74-67-72
214 – Gregory Foo (SIN) 71-68-75, Sangchai Kaewcharoen (THA) 69-72-73
215 – Justin Warren (AUS) 70-72-73
217 – Low Khai Jei 73-74-70
218 – Samath Dwivedi (IND) 70-75-73, Daeng Abdul Rahman Abd Aziz 72-73-73, Chi Huang (TPE) 73-74-71, Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA) 72-75-71, Kevin Caesario Akbar 74-74-70
219 – Abdul Hadi Uda Thith (SIN) 73-72-74, Bryan Teoh Wiyang 73-73-73
220 – Shinichi Mizuno (HKG) 74-73-73, Yong Xuan Yin (CHN) 73-74-73
221 – Joshua Ho (SIN) 72-73-76, Albright Chong 75-71-75, Rizchy S.P Putra (INA) 72-77-72, Zihao Chen (CHN) 74-76-71
