The unheralded Australian duo of Richard Green and Brendan Jones will head into the final round of the US$5.5 million Omega Mission Hills World Cup tied for the lead with Spain after a gritty display in yesterday’s four-balls.
Australia, who started the third day four-strokes adrift of the Spanish pair of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal, fired eight birdies and an eagle in their round of 63 to sit joint atop the leaderboard on 22-under.
Pre-tournament favorites Sweden, represented by European Tour Order of Merit champion Robert Karlsson and world No. 12 Henrik Stenson, occupy third place, four shots back.
PHOTO: AFP
“It was a good, solid performance,” said Green, who last played at the World Cup in 1998. “I’m not surprised that we’re in contention because it feels very good to be out there with Brendan. We both feel very proud to represent Australia.”
World Cup debutant Jones, a Japan Tour regular with eight victories to his name, overcame “a bad feeling” in his stomach at the beginning of the round to reel off four birdies.
He also hit a brilliant eagle on the spectacular par-five 15th, a hole that Spain bogeyed, after hitting a 181-yard approach with a nine-iron to just six feet.
“I was really not a help early in the round,” said Jones, who nailed a four-foot birdie putt at the 18th to put Australia in position to win their first World Cup title since 1989. “But I feel a lot better now and we’re right where we want to be.”
Spain failed to repeat their amazing performance in Friday’s foursomes, but Larrazabal, the European Tour’s Rookie of the Year last season, is confident the duo can still go on and scoop the winners’ US$1.7 million prize purse.
“We made more mistakes today; it wasn’t as good as the first two rounds,” Larrazabal said of the pair’s 67. “But that’s golf. If we play like we did in the foursomes we are going to win the tournament.”
Spain held a comfortable lead for most of the round, but came unstuck for the second day in a row at the 15th, the Olazabal Course’s signature hole, where they could only make bogey.
“We don’t want to play that hole again,” laughed Jimenez, who found the water with his approach while Larrazabal failed to get up and down from a green-side bunker. “It was painful to walk away with a six, but it’s not the end of the world and we recovered and made a birdie at the next. We still feel solid and strong enough.”
Further down the leaderboard, host nation China finally gave the large galleries something to cheer about when veteran Zhang Lianwei holed a 30-yard pitch for birdie at the last hole to shoot 64. Starting the round in 25th place of the 28 teams taking part this week, the eight-under effort lifted them into a share of 18th.
“We had a great combination today,” said Liang Wenchong, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit champion. “The team spirit and fire came out and the birdie on 18 was just the best finish for us.”
Taiwanese pairing Lin Wen-tang and Lu Wen-teh shot a three-under 69 and are in 25th place.
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