American Peter Uihlein put himself on course for his first win on the Asian Tour, and the International Series, after grabbing the lead after the third round of the US$2 million International Series England.
The leader earlier in the day chipped in for birdie on the par-five 18thth on the Longcross course at Foxhills Club & Resort, Surrey, with a 2-under-par 69, to finish at 12-under and one lead over countryman Harold Varner III.
Varner shot a 65 and is a stroke ahead of Englishman Richard Bland, who shot 68, and American Caleb Surratt, who returned a 69.
“It's been a little up and coming today,” said Uihlein, a four-time individual runner-up in the LIV Golf League but twice on the winning team.
“I feel like I hit a lot of greens until the end. I missed one green early and made two, and then I felt like I pretty much hit every green until 15, so I kind of ran.
“And I technically missed four [greens] I went straight in, so that was nice. But he was able to salvage a bit which was good. So yeah, it was a little bit up and down, made some good putts at the end, missed some kind of putts in the middle of the round, so it was kind of a struggle. “
WAS THIS NUMBER FOUR
In his 13-year career as a professional he has won three times, once on the DP World Tour and twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, so a first win on the Asian Tour tomorrow would be a milestone.
He added: “Yes, winning would be nice. You know, it hasn't been my best year since I joined LIV, so it's good to build momentum with our last events coming up. And then I'll play a few more in the International Series after that, so it will put me in a good position which is good.”
He made five birdies, including three in a row from the eighth, two doubles and one bogey.
Varner, already a winner on the Asian Tour as he claimed the Saudi International at the start of 2022, got off to a comfortable start today entering the lowest tournament of the day.
He said: “I shot six under par, so that was good. There's another day so I have to keep doing what I'm doing. I feel like I'm playing well. Just control that part of you.
“No bogeys today and only three in total for the week. I think I drive it pretty well, I go up and down a few places and just, you know, give myself a lot of looks. It's not stressful right now, but it won't be tomorrow.”
Bland, a hotshot this year with two top honors on the Champions Tour – the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open – birdied four of the last five to advance.
“To be completely honest, I'm struggling with my golf swing,” said the 51-year-old, who lives just 10 minutes away.
BREAK 3 WOODS
“I need to find it. I get it on the range, but I don't take it on the golf course, I definitely go with the driver. The last four or five holes, I won't say what I said to myself, which was just to get up and hit it. Stop thinking about it. It hit a lot and it seemed to go in the right direction so I'll use that philosophy tomorrow.”
After a poor tee shot on the 10thth he lost his cool and snapped the shaft of his three woods.
He added: “I need to get three new pieces of wood. With just four or five holes I was struggling. I have been trying to find a golf swing and driver for a month. I can't remember the last time I broke into a group out of anger. I was frustrated and bent my shaft, I don't know my strength. I wasn't trying to break it. I apologize to the fans for that.”
Surratt, who likes Bland and also plays in the LIV Golf League, led most of the time but made double bogeys on both 15 holes.thwhere he found water, and 16, after the hook tee shot.
Richard T. Lee (66) of Canada is in fifth place alone, three behind the leaders, there are Andy Sullivan (67) of England, Sadom Kaewkanjana (68) of Thailand and Richard Dinwiddie (72) of England and a stroke.
For tickets and more information about the International Series England, please visit www.internationalseries.com.
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