Li takes flight to take charge in Turkey
TALK about taking off. In the Turkish Airlines Open, Li Haotong produced the kind of thunderous surge that just about had folk adopting the brace position as the Chinese youngster powered to front at the Regnum Carya resort.
An eight-under 63, which included a rampaging front nine of 29, lifted the 23-year-old on to a 17-under aggregate of 196 as he finished three clear of Alexander Levy and defending champion Justin Rose with one round to play.
Li’s blitz featured six birdies and an eagle two on the 10th, where he holed an 8-iron from some 170 yards, as his push for a third European Tour title gathered pace and purpose.
“I just want to play my best and beat him,” said Li as he licked his lips at the prospect of going head-tohead with Rose, who needs to win to return to world No 1 position.
Li has finished fifth, ninth and 11th in his last three starts.
“From those three weeks, against the best golfers in the world, it’s given me a lot of experience and confidence,” he added of that moraleboosting run.
Levy got himself in the mix with a 66 while Rose endured a topsy-turvy day that saw him make three trips into Regnum Carya’s myriad water hazards on his way to an eventful 69.
“I struggled with my focus and made a couple of questionable decisions out there,” he conceded. “Maybe just a little bit of tiredness was kicking in. I don’t know. In some ways, I feel like there’s nothing to lose tomorrow and all those things to gain. It’s actually going to be a bit easier than being one ahead.”
Thorbjorn Olesen, the Turkish Airlines Open champion a couple of years ago, is lurking in fourth on 13-under while former Masters champion Danny Willett is a stroke further back
Russell Knox was making sturdy advances up the order until he plunged his drive at the last into the water, racked up a double-bogey six in a 69 and slithered back to an eight-under tally.
“It sucks,” lamented a brassed-off Knox. “I have to feel better over the shots. The difference when you are playing great is that you don’t doubt yourself. You feel amazing over the ball and with your swing, and I am just not quite there just now.”
Stephen Gallacher, the only other Scot in the field, posted a level-par 71 to finish day three with a oneunder total.
On the European Challenge Tour, meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre, Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston and David Law all sealed promotion to the European Tour at the end of the Grand Final in Ras Al Khaimah.
The Scottish quartet were all inside the card-winning places heading into the closing event of the campaign and got the job done to ensure a fresh wave of rookies from the game’s cradle will stride out on the main circuit in 2019.
MacIntyre, the Oban left-hander in his first full year as a professional, was the pick of the bunch in the Grand Final as he shared sixth place on a 10-under 278 after a closing 69 to end the 12th on the rankings.
Grant Forrest signed off with a 68 for 280 and was the leading Scot on the order of merit at No 7 with Liam Johnston, a double winner on the circuit this season, finishing 10th on the money list. David Law was 14th of the 15 graduates as Scottish golf enjoyed its best year on the second-tier circuit.