Sanya, China, March 19: The US$1 million TCL Classic is poised for a gripping conclusion tomorrow, with Ryder Cup stars Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey set to duel for the title with their co-leader, Chawalit Plaphol, at Yalong Bay Golf Club on the island of Hainan, China.
The trio finished the third round tied at 16-under-par 200 after a blustery day on the resort island, conditions that saw scoring return to more normal levels after the record-breaking efforts of the opening two days.
Their 54-hole aggregate is good for a one-stroke lead over another Ryder Cup player, Thomas Bjorn, and Terry Pilkadaris, the winner of the Asian Tour’s Sanya Open at the last professional event played at the Yalong Bay course.
It was Scotland’s Montgomerie that stole the show on day three of the event jointly-sanctioned between the Asian and European Tours, bouncing back from three consecutive bogeys during his opening nine to record a four-under-par 68. That put him in ideal position to defend the TCL Classic, a then Asian Tour event he won at its last staging in 2002.
“The conditions were very difficult today and I was delighted to be able to birdie both 17 and 18 to finish. That has given me a chance to defend the title and that’s what we wanted,” said the seven-time European Order of Merit champion.
After his front nine hiccups, Monty was confident he could fight back. “Patience is always the key in golf. You have to be patient and have to be careful and I was today.
“I made a slip-up with bogey-bogey-bogey, but I came back for five-under-par the rest of the day from there, which was very, very good. I’ll sleep well tonight, have a nice Chinese meal and come back and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Montgomerie also cruised into the perfect position for a strike at another goal close to his heart – breaking into the world’s top 50 on the world ranking by the close of play tomorrow and earning a place in The Players Championship next week and, potentially, the US Masters. However, he is pushing that thought to the back of his mind.
“That (improving his world ranking) does not interest me. I have come to Sanya and the TCL Classic to try and win. That’s my goal and whatever happens after that, does not matter. It has been one year since I won the Caltex Masters in Singapore and I am trying to win again. That is what I am here for.”
For the laidback Chawalit, who has his own team golf experience on Asia’s Dynasty Cup squad, it was another day of simple goals that saw him surge into contention for victory. “My plan was the same as the first two days … just keep it on the fairways, hit the greens and make some putts.
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