Thammanoon leads Sabah Masters

Thammanoon leads Sabah Masters

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (JP): Thailand's Tahmmanoon Sriroj,
alternating between the two drivers off the tee, broke the course
record yesterday to take the lead after the third round of the
US$200,000 Sabah Masters at Sabah Golf and Country Club.

Using one driver for length and another for accuracy the 28-
year-old fired a seven-under par 65 making an eagle, six birdies
and one bogey to break the previous course record by a stroke.

The Thai player leads by one shot on eight-under-par 208 from
Australian Paul Foley, who returned a three-under-par 69 and
American Fran Quinn in with a 69.

"I have not played in many tournaments this year on the Omega
Tour because I have had no confidence with my driver... I have
been very wild off the tee," Thammanoon told the Asian Omega Tour
organizer.

Last year Thammanoon won twice of the Omega Tour and finished
third on the Omega Order of Merit with winnings of $127,422 but
because of his poor form has only played in two out of six events
on tour in 1997.

"I'm using a Killer Whale driver to hit the ball straight and
Great Big Bertha for length on the wider holes," added
Thammanoon.

On the 331-yard par-four third Thammanoon used his tee-shot
theory to good effect by smashing his Great Big Bertha well over
300 yards.

He then holed his 20-yard sand wedge approach shots for an
eagle two to set up his record breaking round.

He played the front nine in five-under-par 31 and the back
nine in two-under-par-34.

Quinn, who played on the U.S. PGA Tour in 1992, came close to
finishing the day on top of the leaderboard after making a charge
on the par-five last.

The 32-year-old, over the back of the green in two, played
a delicate chip and run shot that shaved the cup and then saw his
birdie putt from six feet hang on the edge of the hole.

Singapore's Mardan Mamat is in fourth place on six under the
tournament after posting a two-under-par 70 that included a four
foot missed par-putt on the last.

In fifth place, a stroke behind Mamat, is Filipino Rodrigo
Cuello who would also have broken the course record if it had not
been for a disastrous triple-bogey seven on the 430-yard
per-four 16th.

Cuello, surprise winner of last year's Anderson Consulting
Hong Kong Open, reached the 16th seven under for his round and
led the tournament on the same score.

On 16, however, he found the water and fell back down the
leaderboard.

A birdie on the last kept him in contention for the title.