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Park eases to the front at Enjoy Jakarta
Leading: Park Sang-hyun of South Korea negotiates the distance to the green during the third round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship at Bumi Serpong Damai golf course on Saturday
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Leading: Park Sang-hyun of South Korea negotiates the distance to the green during the third round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship at Bumi Serpong Damai golf course on Saturday. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama) (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
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span class="inline inline-none">Leading: Park Sang-hyun of South Korea negotiates the distance to the green during the third round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship at Bumi Serpong Damai golf course on Saturday. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
Korean Park Sang-hyun battled the heat and fatigue for a gritty five-under-par 67 on Saturday to grab a one stroke lead over Japan's Michio Matsumura and Filipino Juvic Pagunsan at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship.
Park, the joint overnight leader, is 18 under par on Damai Indah Golf's 6,545-meter Bumi Serpong Damai course, having finished runner-up twice in 2012 and third in 2011.
A two-time winner on Korea's domestic tour, Park led by three at one point, but bogeys at 14 and 15 gave the rest of the field something to chase.
'I was really tired out there,' said the 30-year-old, who celebrated his son's first birthday on Friday. 'I'm happy with my game, but I need to do something to preserve my condition on the course. It was very hot and tiring.'
Matsumura (67) and Pagunsan (68) could still spoil the Park party on Sunday at the US$1 million event, which is co-sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Tour and is the season-opener for both.
'It's brilliant to be in this position,' said Pagunsan, who won on this course in 2007 when he blasted a final round 65.
'I haven't been in contention for some time, although I have felt my game has been starting to come good for a while. My game is in great shape and I will have a great chance tomorrow.'
Matsumura has won three times in Japan ' most recently at The Crowns Tournament last year ' and feels he is ready for a first win abroad.
'I hope I can keep it together,' he said. 'It is very hot out there, we don't play in weather like this back home.'
China's Wu Ashun opened on birdie-bogey-par before scoring seven more birdies over the next nine holes to charge up the leaderboard into fourth place.
The 28-year-old from Fujian province ' a two-time winner on the Japan Tour ' saved his best for last, however, with a tap-in eagle, after his 170-meter second to the 490-meter par five on the 18th just missed dropping in.
'I played very well today,' he said. 'It's a good position for my Sunday round. There is no pressure on me because I'm still a few strokes behind, so I'll just try and do the same again.'
Park certainly has the form at this course for a big final round, having birdied six in-a-row of the final round at a tournament here in 2009.
'This is my first tournament of this season, but I'm ready for a win if it comes. That would be a great start.'
Best placed of the Australians is Jason Norris (66) who is joint eighth, six shots off the pace.
Other notables include four-time OneAsia winner Liang Wen-chong (70) who is 10 under, three-time winner Kim Bi-o (70) who is one better and current Order of Merit champion Matthew Griffin (72) at six under.
Malaysian Danny Chia, meanwhile, put himself in line for a good payday with a 68 that also left him at 10 under, while George Gandranata (68) was best placed of the locals on eight under.
Headline act Y.E. Yang (70), the only Asian to win a Major, is at six under, while New Zealander David Smail and Singapore's Mardan Mamat shots matched 71.
The shot of the day belonged to Yasuki Miramoto, who aced the 170-meter par-three 14th with a seven iron.
Leaderboard after third round
198 - Park Sang-hyun (Kor) 67-64-67
199 - Michio Matsumura (Jpn) 65-67-67, Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 67-64-68
201 - Wu Ashun (Chn) 69-68-64
202 - Song Young-han (Kor) 69-66-67
203 - Toshinori Muto (Jpn) 71-68-64, Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn) 70-66-67
204 - Jason Norris (Aus) 70-68-66, Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) 72-68-64
205 - Hwang Jung-gon (Kor) 69-67-69, Jang Dong-kyu (Kor) 67-69-69, Hiroshi Iwata (Jpn) 70-66-69, Kang Sung-hoon (Kor) 67-68-70, Kim Bi-o (Kor) 68-67-70, Kunihiro Kamii (Jpn) 65-70-70, Ryuko Tokimatsu (Jpn) 67-64-74.
