Shah Alam [SELANGOR]: A flawless third round display saw Malaysia’s Gavin Kyle Green stay very much in the hunt for a leaderboard finish at the Maybank Championship.

The reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion drained three birdies for a solid 69 to trail co-leaders Jorge Campillo of Spain and world number 47 Dylan Frittelli of South Africa by five shots at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.

Campillo and Frittelli both returned on 66s to set the pace on 15-under-par 201 in a crowded leaderboard at the US$3 million tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

A big dose of patience once again came in handy as Green took a share of 26th placing on 10-under 206.

“It was an up and down round again. I had some good tee shots but they were not a 100%. I grinded very well and made some good up-and-downs. I finished strong at the end so overall it was a good round.

“Everybody is bunched up so if I can go out and shoot as many birdies as possible, I will have a good chance. I’m disappointed not to shoot a low round but at the same time we are still within striking distance,” said Green.

The Maybank ambassador remained hopeful of his title chances and believes an early birdie run on Sunday can push him into contention.

“If I can get off to a good start then I think we will be right in the mix. I won’t do anything crazy because if you are in the rough, it can punish you. I want to keep the ball on the fairway as much as I can and when the birdie opportunities come, I will take it,” he added.

The only other domestic challenger to make the 54-hole cut was Amir Nazrin Jailani, who posted  a 74 to sit in T63 on four-under-par while Sabahans Nicholas Fung (74) and Ben Leong (77) missed the mark.