Brave Scot on threshold of golf career victory
Brave Scot on threshold of golf career victory
TAWAU, Sabah (Agencies): Lightweight Scot Simon Yates overcame
searing heat and the intimidating presence of big South African
Des Terblanche yesterday to move into the third round lead at the
Sabah Masters.
Yates fired a five-under-par 67 to pass overnight leader
Terblanche and finish the day on 11-under-par 205 at Shan-Shui
Golf and Country Club.
Defending champion Terblanche returned a 70 and lies a stroke
behind Yates while Korea's Choi Kyung-ju carded a 69 and is four
strokes behind Yates.
In a David and Goliath battle, Yates, weighing a mere 60
kilos, started the day two strokes behind Terblanche, who tips
the scales at 125 kilos.
"I really faded over the closing holes, it was just so hot,"
said Yates. "I love the back nine on this course and really play
it well. Each day I have played the front side poorly but really
got going on the back nine."
Yates was the third round leader the last time the Omega Tour
was in Malaysia, at last year's Volvo Masters of Malaysia. He
eventually finished joint fourth in that event and is still
looking for his first Tour win.
The 28-year-old Scot reached the turn level with Terblanche
and then took the lead for the first time with a birdie on the
10th and moved two ahead with another birdie on 13.
Terblanche pulled one back with a birdie on 17 before both
players made three at the par four last. The South African holed
a 10 footer on the 18th while Yates followed him in with a
treacherous left to right downhill putt from eight feet.
In Tano, Japan, Shingo Katayama shot a 4-under-par 68 to
expand his lead from two to four strokes going into the final
round of the 100 million yen ($690,000) Sanko Grand Summer
Championship.
Katayama, a non-winner in three years as a pro, eagled the
par-5 first hole and sank two birdies in a bogey-free round en
route to a 15-under 201 total.
Kazuhiko Hosokawa, in contention for his first title of the
season and fifth overall, fired a 67 for 205.
Tatsuo Takasaki was alone in third place at 206 after shooting
a 68.
Leading scorers
Sabah Masters:
205 - Simon Yates (Sco) 67-71-67
206 - Des Terblanche (Rsa) 70-66-70
209 - Choi Kyung-ju (Kor) 70-70-69
210 - Arjun Atwal (Ind) 73-71-66
212 - Chris Williams (Eng) 69-71-72, Andrew Pitts (USA) 70-69-73
213 - Leith Wastle (Aus) 73-70-70, Lu Chien-Soon (Tpe) 67-73-73
214 - Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 71-78-65, Grant Dodd (Aus) 71-74-69,
Nico van Rensburg (Rsa) 73-69-72, Bjorn Flygare (Swe)
69-72-73
215 - Mardan Mamat (Sin) 77-70-68
216 - Thammanoon Sriroj (Tha) 74-71-71, Scott Taylor (USA) 72-72-
72, Jerry Smith (USA) 70-74-72, Mo Joong-kyung (Kor) 69-74-
73, Carlos Espinosa (Mex) 72-70-74
217 - Tsai Chi-Huang (Tpe) 71-76-70, Mike Cunning (USA) 76-70-71,
Yurio Akitomi (Jpn) 73-73-71, Bong Tae-ha (Kor) 68-77-72
Sanko Grand Summer (Jpn unless stated):
201 - Shingo Katayama 67-66-68
205 - Kazuhiko Hosokawa 70-68-67
206 - Tatsuo Takasaki 70-68-68, Kazuhiro Takami 71-70-66, Tsukasa
Watanabe 69-69-69, Yasuharu Imano 71-67-69, Katsumasa
Miyamoto 67-70-70, Go Higaki 68-69-70, Masakazu Noritake
65-68-74
208 - Daisuke Serizawa 72-68-68, Ryoken Kawagishi 68-71-69,
Hideki Kase 68-70-70, Kiyoshi Maita 72-65-71, Hsieh Chin-
sheng (Tpe) 69-67-72
209 - Masayuki Okano 69-74-66, Takaaki Fukuzawa 73-68-68, Shoichi
Kuwabara 66-72-71, Hiroshi Tominaga 70-68-71, Hirofumi
Miyase 66-69-74
210 - Peter McWhinney (Aus) 69-73-68, Carlos Franco (Par) 72-66-72