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.