Seongnam: Finland's Janne Kaske and Lee Tae-Hee of South Korea extended their overnight one-shot lead to four after signing for matching three-under-par 68s in the penultimate round of the 38th Maekyung Open Golf Championship yesterday.
The 32-year-old Kaske surged to an outright lead after firing four birdies to turn in 32. He dropped a shot on the 11th hole but made it up with a birdie on 16th where he hit an incredible bunker shot to about 20 feet before nailing the putt.
However, Kaske relinquished his sole possession of the lead after dropping another shot on the par-three 17th. He and Lee have a three-day total of nine-under-par 204 at the Namseoul Country Club.
Young Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai battled to a 70 to move into third place with Hyungjoon Lee of South Korea, who returned with a second straight 69, at the US$1,067,000 event.
Kaske, who won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2015, is on the verge of his maiden title on the Asian Tour. He secured his Asian Tour card thanks to a stellar season on the ADT in 2018.
"I like playing aggressively in this kind of situation. I felt like I was in control the whole of today. There was never a moment where I felt nervous. I was actually surprised how calm I stayed out. I hit perfect shots right out of the gates so I knew it was going to be good," he said.
Lee, a two-time winner on the local circuit, marked his card with four birdies and a bogey to stay in control at the event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association. The 34-year-old had held a share of the lead since the opening round.
"I didn't make any big mistakes. That is why I was able to post a good score. I am happy to keep it going with Janne as we continue to lead. I think Janne is playing well because he is playing for the first time on this course and he has no fear," Lee said.
Phachara said: "My short game helped me a lot again today. I didn't hit it good off the tees and my iron play was not that great. But I managed to save a few pars by sinking putts from around 18 feet. My chipping was good too.
"As long as you can save shots, you should have a chance. I'm not thinking about winning to be honest. My aim is to shoot under-par every day. If I can do that, I will have a good chance tomorrow."
