Brandon charges into contention
Published on: Friday, September 15, 2017
KAJANG: Sabah's Brandon Lau fired a brilliant effort of four-under 68 on day three to put him in contention for the Professional Golf Association of Malaysia (PGAM) Players' Championship presented by Maybank on Thursday.His three-day score of 212(72-72-68) pushed him into joint third alongside veteran Md Rashid Ismail, who posted another solid one-under 71 following his previous two-day scores of 71 and 70. "Strong finish to what was a really good round. I played well here earlier in the year (finishing tied fourth at the PGM Sime Darby Impian Championship) and the good vibes flowed again today. Gave myself a lot of opportunities on the back nine and converted four birdies, including two at the very end, which was nice.
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"I've given myself a chance today and I've got to stick to the process, be calm and put together another good round. If I can make my professional mark tomorrow, it would be a dream come true," said Brandon.The pair are just a stroke back in what is setting up to be a pulsating final round in the RM200,000 tournament.Meanwhile, Muhd Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf made a moving day charge to snatch a share of 54-hole lead.The 25-year-old fired a blistering eight-birdie round of 67 to haul himself alongside Amir Nazrin Jailani on five-under 211 at the Impian Golf & Country Club.
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Overnight leader Amir needed a birdie on the penultimate hole to turn in a 72 to stay the course in his bid for a maiden professional title.Completing the top-five at two-under-par are the trio of Kemarol Baharin (67), Wilson Choo (70) and Daeng Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz (72).
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Five back at the start of the day, Wafiyuddin got off on the wrong footing by bogeying his opening two holes. The Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) standout regained his composure to make the turn on level-par before rolling in a 15-foot birdie on the 10th that opened the floodgates in a flawless back nine display."I stayed positive despite dropping two shots early on. Kept it simple and my putter kept me in the game on the front nine. The birdie on 10th really sparked my confidence – I knew I was up for something special and to return with five birdies on these grainy greens is quite an accomplishment," said the 25-year-old.With the days of balancing his studies and playing time behind him, Wafiyuddin is enjoying his best run of the burgeoning domestic circuit. With two top-five finishes already this year, the decorated former national is eager to taste success on the professional ranks."I don't want to get ahead of myself. Putting an expectation (to win) is equivalent to putting more pressure on myself. I just want to enjoy my game tomorrow. I think I just have to trust the lines and make those putts. If I can do that tomorrow, I'll every chance of lifting the trophy," added Wafiyuddin.Amir was disappointed not to emulate his opening round magic but took it in his stride as he looks to join the winning circle in his rookie year.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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