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Quiros Remains on
Course at Fanling
A third
round 67 gave Alvaro Quiros a one shot lead over Peter Hanson at the
UBS Hong Kong Open. Quiros, who on both previous days had shared
the lead with Rory McIlroy, carded three birdies in a bogey-free effort
which took him to ten under par.
World
Number Two McIlroy, however, had to fight back from consecutive bogeys
on the front nine to sign for a level par 70, leaving the 22 year old
in fifth place and in danger of missing out on the top-two finish he
needs to stand a chance of catching Luke Donald in The Race to Dubai.
Ryder
Cup star Hanson signed for joint-best-of-the-day 65 to charge firmly
into contention, while his score was matched by former US PGA Championship
winner Y E Yang, who shares third place with Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul
(67).
“I
hit the ball great from the tee and to the green,” said five time
European Tour winner Quiros. “But the putting was very, very poor.”
“Obviously
my length is always an advantage. If I'm able to hit the fairway on
the second hole, I have great chances to make a good birdie, an easy
birdie, when the others probably are struggling a little bit with the
tee shot and then with the second shot.”
McIlroy
started in solid fashion but, after missing a birdie chance on the third,
found sand at the par three fourth and his par putt from ten feet grazed
the edge of the hole. Worse was to follow as his drive at the
fifth ended behind a tree and, after chipping onto the fairway, his
third shot missed the green.
However,
he managed to get up and down to limit the damage to a bogey and drop
to five under par. McIlroy then steadied the ship with a string
of pars before collecting his first birdie of the day at the 13th.
He also drained a mid-range putt for another at the 17th as he fought
back to post a 70 and remain in the hunt. “I just didn't have
anything out there,” said the US Open Champion. “Mentally I just
wasn't at the races, and struggled to get anything going.
“It
was one of those days where nothing much was happening, and it was nice
to birdie a couple coming in to keep me in it. I'm only three behind,
so if I can get off to a decent start tomorrow, I'm right back in it.”
Ryder
Cup teammate Hanson moved into second place after a fine 65 which included
one bogey and six birdies. "It was nice," Hanson said.
"To sum it up, it was very good putting. "I had a bit
of a slow start making a bogey on the second but from there it was very
solid and there were a couple of good bunker shots that saved some pars
through the middle part of the round." Yang, who also mixed
birdies with a solitary bogey, added: "I'm in a good position,
better than being ahead in the first or second round.
"One
more day to focus, 18 holes to play. I think my chances are fairly good.
There was minimal wind today, so that helped a lot, and my irons and
my putter were playing as I've always wanted them today."
Yang shares third with Junhasavasdikul on eight under after the Thai
youngster overcame a terrible start that saw him bogey the first and
double bogey the second with six subsequent birdies.
"I
kept telling myself 'Okay, the round is not over, you made it through
to the weekend after playing really bad the last couple of months,”
Junhasavasdikul said. "Just go out there and enjoy it, just
one shot at a time and try to make something happen." England's
first round co-leader David Horsey is in the group at five under par
following a 69, while defending champion Ian Poulter is six shots off
the lead after a 67.
Information form hkopenmedia
Alvaro Quiros of Spain
Rory Mcilroy, Alvaro Quiros
18th hole of UBS Hong Kong Open course
John Dally of USA
LIANG Wen-chong of China
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