Haiyang: Li Chao recorded two birdies on his opening nine holes and then held steady for a 1-under 71 today at Tiger Beach Golf Links to take a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the China Tour’s Shandong leg.
Yuan Chao, the leader through the first two rounds at the US$100,000 tournament, ballooned to a 4-over 76, while Gu Cuilin (76), Huang Mingjie (71), Liu Qiang (78) and Qiu Zhifeng (75) were all tied for third, eight shots off the pace.
China No. 1 Zhang Lianwei bounced back from a second round 80 to shoot a 1-over 73 but could not gain any ground and remained 11 back.
The big-hitting Li, winner of last year’s inaugural China Tour Order of Merit, was one of only two players to break par at Tiger Beach today as a storm and the ever-present wind played havoc with the scores of the early starters.
Li, who has an aggregate 217 through 36 holes, played conservative golf to shoot his second consecutive 71. He also had the good fortune of being in the clubhouse when a storm hit the field in the morning.
“I tried not to make a lot of risky shots, especially when I was going for the green,” said the 26-year-old from Beijing, a two-time winner on the China Tour last year.
“If the pin position was okay then I’d definitely attack it, but the harder positions, I prefer just put the ball in a safe place on the green. That’s been my strategy for the last two rounds and it will be my strategy for the final round too.
“I’m happy with another 71, I had the advantage that the weather cleared up, but still I used the same strategy as the second day. I didn’t make a lot of aggressive shots. Then when I did get a chance of birdies I make them. That’s how I got my two birdies on the front nine.”
In contrast, Yuan Hao had lost his two-shot lead by the time he made the turn and only managed to stay in contention with an eagle on the 12th hole.
“I had a horrible up-and-down back nine, which I shouldn’t have allowed to happen. I had a reasonable front nine, because I stuck to my strategy from the previous two days: get the ball near the green and save par. That's what I’d been doing for two rounds; save-par golf,” the 27-year-old Guangdong native said.
“Par golf is a good score here. Unfortunately I couldn’t make any putts, not even five-footers. Not one of them.”
Yuan, currently seventh on the Order after a fourth in Hainan and a equal sixth in Zhuhai, said he missed three short birdie putts but he was happy to stay within three strokes going into the final day.
“I do like the way I’ve played – very conservatively – for the past two rounds. That’s how I played in this round too. I didn’t try and risk too much. I didn’t take any over-aggressive shots like I used to,” he insisted.
“The weather cleared up, which did me a favour, but still we had a lot of wind changes, especially the direction. The par-three 16th I couldn’t even reach with my five wood on Friday and this time a 5-iron went to the back of the green. I guess this is the interesting part of links golf. I do enjoy it. As Li Chao and I walked down the 17th and 18th the wind completely changed back to what it was for the first two days.”