Cavite, Philippines: Thai talent Kasidit Lepkurte produced the performance of the day when he signed for a flawless eight-under-par 64 to grab a four-shot lead following the penultimate round of the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic on Friday.
The 24-year-old Thai, who started his round with a three-shot deficit, put himself in prime position for a first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title after firing eight birdies against no bogey for a nine-under-par 207 total at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club.
Overnight leader Danny Masrin of Indonesia signed for a 71 to share second place with Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall and Toru Nakajima of Japan, who carded matching 68s at the US$60,000 ADT event.
James Ryan Lam (70) emerged as the best-placed Filipino in tied-fifth position alongside American duo John Catlin (70) and Dino A. Giacomazzi (65) on 213 in what is the 11th leg of the 2016 ADT schedule and also the Tour’s second stop in the Philippines this season.
Kasidit, a gold medalist at the 2015 South East Asia (SEA) Games, credited his pinpoint approach shots and his hot putter for keeping the bogeys off his card.
“I had a solid round. Everything was good, especially my approach shots and putting. I hit my second shot from 150 yards and sank a one-footer for birdie on first. That gave me some confidence and got my momentum going,” said Kasidit, who amassed 25 putts.
“I almost hole out for eagle on third after my approach shot from 142 yards landed just an inch away from the cup. I sank a couple of long putts out there too. It was windy but I managed to keep the ball in play,” added the Thai, who turned professional last June.
The ADT will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2017.
Like all other ADT events, the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic will offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which will be key for players vying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this August.
The winner of the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic will take home US$10,500 and receive six OWGR points.
Leading third round scores:
207 - Kasidit LEPKURTE (THA) 71 72 64
211 - Oscar ZETTERWALL (SWE) 71 72 68, Toru NAKAJIMA (JPN) 73 70 68, Danny MASRIN (INA) 68 72 71
213 - Dino A. GIACOMAZZI (USA) 73 75 65, John CATLIN (USA) 73 70 70, James Ryan LAM (PHI) 72 71 70
214 - Clyde MONDILLA (PHI) 77 70 67, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 73 68 73
215 - Rufino BAYRON(PHI) 75 73 67, Mathiam KEYSER (RSA) 74 72 69, Nick SHERWOOD (USA) 74 75 66, Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN) 74 69 72, Janne KASKE (FIN) 71 71 73, Marvin DUMANDAN (PHI) 72 70 73
216 - Khalin JOSHI (IND) 73 74 69, Michael BIBAT (PHI) 70 75 71, Samuel CHIEN (USA) 72 72 72, Jarin TODD (USA) 72 71 73
217 - Randy GARALDE (PHI) 71 76 70, Charles HONG (PHI) 75 71 71, Zanie Boy GIALON (PHI) 76 74 67
