Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh and Gaganjeet Bhullar endured tough back-nines and let slip a chance to position themselves better for Sunday’s final round in the Volvo China Open here.
Jeev, a former champion here, was one-under through 12 holes before dropping bogeys on the 13th and 17th to finish at 73 in the third round on Saturday. He thus
slipped to tied 30th on the leaderboard at two-under 214.
Bhullar, who had survived the cut with a fine fightback, gave away two shots on the 16th and 18th to finish the day at 72 and one-under 215 in tied 40th place for the week.
Up at the top, Brett Rumford took a one shot lead into the final round as he bids to become the first back-to-back winner on The European Tour for over a year.
A hat-trick of birdies from the sixth saw the Australian catch overnight leader Mikko Ilonen, who bogeyed the last after driving into the water at the Binhai Lake Golf Club to hand Rumford the lead.
Defending champion Branden Grace -- ironically the last player to win two weeks running on the European Tour in his native South Africa last January -- is nine back after a third round 72.
Kapur shines
Shiv Kapur stumbled to a crippling double bogey on the 17th hole but still gave himself a shot at the title by being tied sixth after the third round of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian
Masters in Jakarata on Saturday.
Three-under after 16, Kapur double bogeyed the 17th but pulled one back with a birdie on the 18th to end the third day at two-under 70.
At seven-under 209 for three days, he was four shots behind surprise leader, Japan’s Daisuke Kataoka (66). Lurking behind the Japanese player was the reigning Open champion, Ernie Els (68), and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (67). Els and Wiesberger are tied at 10-under.
