Frittelli is flawless again as he remains the boss in Beijing
SOUTH AFRICA’S Dylan Frittelli will take a three-shot lead into the final day of the Volvo China Open after a second flawless round in succession in Beijing.
Frittelli followed a 63 on Friday with an equally-impressive 64 in yesterday’s third round to reach 19- under- par at Topwin Golf and Country Club.
Overnight leader Pablo Larrazabal carded five birdies and three bogeys in his 70 to lie 16 under, with former champion Alexander Levy another four strokes back following a 71.
Larrazabal began the day with a three-shot lead and moved further ahead with a birdie on the second.
But he then three- putted the fourth and seventh, the latter mistake causing the Spaniard to give himself a sarcastic round of applause.
Frittelli had birdied the fourth, sixth and seventh to take over the lead and picked up another shot on the par- five eighth to move two shots clear before Larrazabal narrowed the gap on the 10th.
Both men birdied the 11th and 12th before Frittelli stretched his lead to three shots with a birdie on 15 and Larrazabal’s third three-putt of the day on the next.
England’s Chris Wood, who has not recorded a top- 10 finish since shortly after winning the BMW PGA Championship last year, is in fourth place on 11 under after a 65, marred only by a solitary bogey on the 17th.
Defending champion Li Haotong is two shots further back alongside Soomin Lee, George Coetzee and Ross Fisher, who experienced contrasting fortunes in reaching nine-under-par.
Lee was penalised a shot for slow play on the 14th, turning a bogey into a doublebogey six in a round of 73, while Fisher made a hole-in-one on the sixth and an eagle two on the 15th in his 64.
Coetzee was one-over-par for the day playing the 18th, but saw his wayward approach bounce off a grandstand to the
left of the green and finish just three feet from the hole to set up an eagle.
Frittelli, 26, who won the Rolex Trophy on his way to graduating from the Challenge Tour last year, said: “The players out here are some of the best players in Europe and Asia, so it’s tough to beat the other players in the field.
“The emotions you go through and the feelings you have in competition coming down the stretch, those are all pretty similar whether it’s winning an amateur tournament or a professional tournament.
“So, hopefully, I can contend well tomorrow and deal with those emotions.
“Pablo played great out there today as well. He’s not going to lie down.
“He is one of the toughest guys to get into a dog fight with on the European Tour, so I’m definitely going to be wary of him tomorrow.”