KARACHI: It was a back nine performance that took everyone’s breath away.

It also saw Namchok Tantipokhakul surge to the top of the Asian Tour’s UMA-CNS Open Golf Championship here at the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) on Saturday.

“If I do tomorrow what I did today, I think I’ll be fine,” the Thai told Dawn after the penultimate round where he shot a five-under 67 for a 12-under 204 total and a one-shot lead over compatriot Jakraphan Premsirigorn (68).

On a day when golfers from Thailand were utterly dominant, it could’ve been all so different for Namchok though.

Having started the day as a joint-leader alongside Jakraphan and Suradit Yangchorenchai, a bogey on the ninth hole had seen Namchok fall two shots behind Jakraphan. Jakraphan’s lead increased to three by the 10th.

The turnaround began on the par-5 11th hole.

Driving to the left of the fairway from the tee, Namchok conjured up an incredible shot that landed close to the hole. The hard part done, he did a one-putt for an eagle.

It was just a sign of things to come. Three successive birdies after that saw the 31-year-old Namchok usurp Jakraphan.

“I think I got lucky with the shot on the 11th,” he admitted. “The start wasn’t so good for me but I’m happy with the way I recovered. I’ve been focusing on finding the greens and that’s worked for me.

“I’ll try to enjoy tomorrow [in Sunday’s final round] as I’ll be playing with my compatriots [in the leader flight],” he said when asked if there would be any pressure on him. “I’ve been in that situation before and I’m comfortable.”

Jakraphan echoed Namchok’s sentiments.

“We play a lot together in Thailand and we’ll be contesting on the final 18 holes now which are the most important ones,” Jakhraphan told Dawn. “I’ll try to find the fairways as much as I can and keep playing the way I am.”

Instead of Suradit, it will be Tirawat Kaewsiribandit who will be playing in the leader flight on Sunday.

Like Namchok, he was also imperious on the back nine, hitting four consecutive birdies from holes 11 to 14 before adding another one on the 18th in a third-round 67 for a total of nine-under 207.

Suradit, the world no. 546 and the highest-ranked player in the first Asian Tour event in Pakistan since 2007, was left facing an uphill task to lift a maiden tour title after a double bogey on the 15th hole when his drive landed in the water.

Having hit four birdies with two bogeys before being undone on the 15th, Suradit’s 72 sees him on seven-under 209 and in a tie with compatriot Pawin Inghapradit (71).

A shot adrift is another Thai, Settee Prakongvech who fired a 69.

PAKISTANI CHALLENGE FADES

Tied with Settee on 210 is Pakistan’s Mohammad Munir, the only local golfer among the top 10 after the third round.

Munir was a shot adrift of the lead after the second round but failed to push on on Saturday even though he made the ideal start with a birdie on the second hole.

A bogey on the fourth hole dented his confidence but while the intent was there, Munir missed two close putts for birdies on the next two holes. Even though he came back with a birdie on the seventh, a bogey on the 16th means a near miracle is needed to see a local winner at the event.

“The greens were too slow,” Munir told Dawn. “I tried my best but it wasn’t good enough.”

Another Pakistani Mohammad Naeem is a shot adrift of Munir on 211 after shooting a 68. Naeem is tied with Filipino James Ryan Lam (70), Suttijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand (70), Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman (70) and Singapore’s Mitchell Slorach (70).

Pakistan’s Matloob Ahmed fired a 70 and is tied with compatriot Mohammad Shabbir (71) on 212. Alongside them are American Paul Harris (67) and Matt Killed of England (68).

“We’d hoped that one of us [Pakistan golfers] would be able to win but it doesn’t seem likely,” Matloob told Dawn highlighting Pakistan’s plight at the tournament. “We’ve all played at this course so many times and posted good scores but we weren’t able to do the same this time.

“Shabbir finished with a 16-under at this very course just two weeks ago [in the local leg of the CNS Open] yet he couldn’t replicate that form in this event. It happens. Sometimes you have the luck, sometimes you don’t. This time none of the local golfers had luck on their side.”

Luck certainly has deserted Ahmed Baig since the first round. Just when the 19-year-old, hailed as the future of Pakistan golf, seems to be in his stride, his game goes into disarray.

Ahmed, the leader after the first-round, had been going serenely until the 13th hole, bogey-free and with a birdie, but a bogey on the 14th hit his chances of an under-par score before he bogeyed on the 16th and 17th to finish with a 74 and a total of one-under 215.

With time on his side, and with his potential, Ahmed could as well clinch an Asian Tour title in the future.

For now, it seems like the Thais will be the ones celebrating.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2018