LONDON: Li Haotong of China made four eagles on Saturday, including two in his last two holes, to grab a share of the lead with American Dustin Johnson at the Saudi International at the end of a third round in which Sergio Garcia was disqualified for damaging two greens.
Haotong’s incident-filled round of 8-under 62 — which also included a double bogey — finished with him driving the green at the 17th to set up a 6-foot putt for eagle before making a 3 at the par-5 18th.
Three of his eagles came on par 4 holes.
Johnson started the third round with a three-stroke lead and shot 65. The world No. 3 and Li were 16 under overall and five strokes ahead of Tom Lewis, who shot 62 for third outright.
Garcia was disqualified for “serious misconduct,” the European Tour said in a statement, after he shot 71.
The former Masters champion said “in frustration, I damaged a couple of greens, for which I apologize for, and I have informed my fellow players it will never happen again.”
Meanwhile, Haotong was quick to thank his lucky stars after his miraculous round at the Royal Greens.
“I think it was very, very lucky today. Those eagles, especially last couple shots, were really solid, but apart from that, honestly, my play, wasn’t that good. But I did made a lot of par putts.”
When asked about his round and its remarkable finish with his final eagle, Haotong said: “It was another lucky bounce on that one. I mean, off the tee, driving the bunker about two yards short to carry the bunker, and bounce over the bunker, it was lucky.
“Quite exciting on that one,” he added.
The Chinese superstar was confident of holding on to Johnson’s coat-tails, especially after his win in the region last year, when he triumphed in Dubai over Rory McIlroy.
“I just want to play my best, especially compared to last week.
“So I just have to put myself in the position, hopefully I get used to that feeling and play and enjoy myself on the final round.”
Front-runner Johnson was pleased with his efforts on Saturday.
“I thought I played well. Probably played just as well as I did (on Friday).
I gave myself a lot of opportunities, made a lot of good putts and just holed a few more (on Friday) than I did today, that was the only difference,” he said.
And the American paid tribute to the efforts of Haotong on the back nine.
“I heard when I was done, that’s pretty impressive. Four eagles in a golf tournament is pretty good, but four in one round, you take that any day.”
Johnson has won majors and PGA tournaments all over the world, but victory in Saudi Arabia would mark his first win on the European Tour, something Johnson is keen to achieve.
“It’s definitely an opportunity for me to see what I’ve got and I definitely would like to win a regular European Tour event. I’ve played in a few now. That’s something I haven’t done and so that would be a nice little way to send it back to the US (on Sunday).”
Li Haotong’s heroic round puts pressure on co-leader Dustin Johnson in Saudi Arabia
Li Haotong’s heroic round puts pressure on co-leader Dustin Johnson in Saudi Arabia
- Johnson started the third round with a three-stroke lead and shot 65
- Haotong’s incident-filled round of 8-under 62 saw him draw level with the American
Owen Edwards surges into share of lead with stunning 63 at Madinaty
- Welshman joins overnight leader Juan Salama on 12 under, setting up final-round showdown at the Egypt Golf Series event
CAIRO: Welshman Owen Edwards fired a 7-under-par 63 on Wednesday to join overnight leader Juan Salama on 12-under at the top of the leaderboard heading into Thursday’s third and final round of the Egypt Golf Series event at Madinaty.
Edwards, who began the day seven shots behind Salama, produced the round of the day at Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo to set up a thrilling conclusion to the finale of the two-week, four-event series. He was steady through the opening stretch before catching fire on his back nine (the front nine on the scorecard), where he picked up six birdies to storm into contention.
“It was a bit of a tale of two halves,” said Edwards. “We went out early at 7:30 a.m., so it was dewy and colder to start and I wasn’t quite feeling it. But then momentum kicked in and I hit some really good shots when it mattered.
“The key moment was probably the second hole; it was tricky, with the wind pushing toward the water, for me as a lefty but I hit a 7-iron to 4 feet and that really got things going.
“Playing four events in a row has helped massively. Back home it’s hard to get competitive rounds, so to come out here and get 12 proper tournament rounds makes a huge difference and gives you confidence that you’re ready for the next part of the season.
“The prize funds and opportunities on the MENA Golf Tour are unbelievable; it’s proper competition and a great experience.”
Salama, who set a course record with a sensational 60 in the opening round, showed resilience on day two to card a 2-under 68 despite a shaky spell mid-round. Back-to-back bogeys at the first and second (his 10th and 11th holes of the day) threatened to undo his good work, but the Spaniard responded with three birdies over the last seven holes to maintain a share of the lead.
“It was definitely a different day today and it wasn’t easy coming back after shooting so low yesterday,” Salama said. “I knew everything happened for a reason, so I expected it to be tougher. The magic was still there but I just couldn’t hole the putts I made yesterday or leave it quite as close. Still, I think 2 under par is a good score today and it gives me a chance going into tomorrow.”
The winner of last week’s Egypt Golf Series event at Al-Marassi Golf Club in El-Alamein, Jack Davidson, kept himself firmly in the hunt with a bogey-free round of 66 to sit in third place, two shots back on 10-under. He will join Salama and Edwards in the final group to tee off on Thursday.
“Playing again with Jack is amazing, and to be alongside one of the best players on the MENA Golf Tour is something really special for me and I’m going to fight as hard as I can,” Salama said.
Argentina’s Gaston Bertinotti is on his own in fourth place on the leaderboard on 9-under after a 66 on Wednesday, with Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo and England’s Oliver Sullivan sharing fifth at 8-under. Sullivan’s round of 65 was a story of extremes: seven birdies offset by a double bogey at the par-3 15th.
Addabbo’s position on the leaderboard is significant in the context of the MENA Golf Tour Rankings; with top-ranked Chris Wood absent this week as he competes at the Qatar Masters, a strong finish could see the Italian close the gap on him at the top of the standings.
Jordan Wrisdale and Ben Jones, both from England, share seventh place at 7 under, alongside Ireland's Alex Maguire, who birdied the last hole on Wednesday as he recorded a round of 66.
