England’s Chris Wood putts at the 18th green during the third round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at the Doha Golf Club yesterday. The 25-year-old heads the leaderboard at end of the third round of the European Tour event. Wood enjoys a three-shot advantage over the trio of compatriot Simon Khan, Swede Alexander Noren and New Zealander Michael Campbell into today’s final round.
by ArmstrongVas
Doha: Chris Wood shot an eight-under-par 64 to emerge as a frontrunner to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha.
The 25-year-old opened up a three-shot lead over the trio of compatriot Simon Khan, Alexander Noren of Sweden and Michael Campbell of New Zealand at the end of the third round at the Doha Golf Club here yesterday.
After 19 top-ten finishes, the Englishman is hoping to claim his first European Tour victory, since turning a pro in 2008.
Yesterday the six-foot five-inch Wood sizzled with five birdies on the front nine at the 7,374-yard championship course.
Wood dazzling display yesterday included an eagle on the 548-yard tenth.
Although a bogey at 12 slowed him down, the Bristol-born golfer bounced back with birdies at 14 and 16 to raise hopes of victory in Qatar.
“I shot 64, but it could have been a few better. I felt like I was swinging the club well enough to give myself more and more chances. Certainly the front nine was a good scoring opportunity, as the wind picked up on the back nine,” said Wood, who won his first pro title at the Thailand Open last August, on the OneAsia circuit,” Wood said.
“It’s nice to put a low number on the board for today (Saturday) and I’m very excited. I thought as long as I kept myself in the mix, then I was going to be really looking forward to it but leading gives me a bit of a cushion. Obviously it’s going to be difficult. It’s hard to win any tournament on The European Tour,” he added.
Wood has recorded three runner-up finishes since 2011, most recently at the Sicilian Open last April.
Earlier, compatriot Khan shot 64 to lie 12-under and was joined by Campbell (68), the 2005 US Open champion, and Noren (66).
Khan who was down in 31st place at halfway was happy with yesterday’s performance.
“It’s been a tough couple years since winning Wentworth, so it’s amazing,” Khan said.
Overnight joint leader Sergio Garcia had drawn within two shots of Wood with four birdies, but two late bogeys in increasingly blustery winds meant the Spanish star finished with a 70 to share fifth place at 11-under with South African Branden Grace (67), a four-time winner on last year’s European Tour.
Ryder Cup hero Martin Kaymer (72), among the second-round leaders with Garcia, is in a share of 11th at nine-under, while both World No. 5 Louis Oosthuizen (68) and World No. 11 Jason Dufner (67) are a further shot back in a tie for 15th. World No. 4 Justin Rose signed for another 71 and is six-under, nine off the pace.
Also losing his grip at the top was first day leader Ricardo Santos. The Portuguese had four bogeys and two double bogeys and had a score of 76 to show against his name to lie 10 shots off the pace.
With yesterday’s lean show the 2012 Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year seems to have blown away his chances of winning an European Tour for the second time.
The Peninsula
