Anders Hansen birdied three of his last four holes Saturday to catch Panuphol Pittayarat at the top of the leaderboard and set up an intriguing final round at The Championship in Singapore.
The Dane’s closing flurry earned him a share of the lead alongside Thailand’s Panuphol, who bogeyed the penultimate hole as he surrendered the one-shot advantage he had held since day one.
Hansen shot five-under-par 67 for an aggregate score of 200, while Pittayarat has rounds of 63, 68 and 69. The pair are two strokes ahead of Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen and America’s David Lipsky.
“It was nice to finish with those three birdies. It was a little more windy today so it was more tricky. But it was a great finish,” said Hansen.
“Every time you are up there you have to be pleased so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I love competition and I love playing under the gun as it gets your attention,” he added.
The 21-year-old Panuphol, nicknamed “Coconut”, is still looking for his first tour win after turning pro aged just 14. Hansen, 43, can claim his fourth European Tour victory in the co-sanctioned event.
“I’ve been in contention a couple of times where I got to play with some great players. I will try not to think about how they are doing and just do my best,” said Panuphol.
“It’s going to be a good Sunday.”
France’s Gregory Bourdy and Chris Wood of England are well in contention at three shots back on 203, while Tommy Fleetwood, Terry Pilkadaris, Rahil Gangjee and Felipe Aguilar are four adrift.
The tournament was held as the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea for six editions from 2008, but after losing its title sponsor it was hurriedly relocated to Singapore last month.