Asian duo hot on the heels of Willett heading into final day

THAILAND’S Panuphol Pittayarat (pic) and South Korea’s K.T. Kim have kept the Asian challenge going in the Maybank Championship.

The duo are five strokes behind leader Danny Willet of England.

They are in joint fourth position with Frenchmen Gregory Havret and Micheal Lorenzo-vera and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger after the third round at the Saujana Golf and Country Club yesterday.

Pittayarat carded a six-under 66 to add to his earlier 70 and 69. Kim fired a 69 to add to his two 68s for a three-day total of 11-under 205.

Willet leads with a 16-under 200 and looks a shoo-in for the title.

But the Asian duo are hoping to keep the momentum going.

The Thai was generally happy with his game over the three days.

“It’s not just today ... the key this week has been to hit the fairways and greens and to hole some putts.

“Today, I holed a lot of putts. I was striking it really well,” said Panuphol.

“Didn’t hole enough putts the first two rounds, so I spent a lot of time on the practice putting green ... and I guess it paid off today.

“I plan to eat well, sleep well and keep my body fit and firm for the final day.

“It’s been a really hot week and I need enough water and food to keep me going.”

The Thai has been quite successful on the Asian Tour although he has yet to win.

The 24-year-old has successfully kept his full card every year since breaking through at Qualifying School in 2011.

Kim, who’s hoping to grind away in the hope of getting a positive result, admitted that it would be tough to catch Willet.

“Five shots behind is quite a tough task to overcome. We can only just keep trying.

“Playing my irons good and if I can hole a few more putts and have a good start then maybe I have a chance.

“The form of the day will matter,” he said.