Brett Rumford leads the Volvo China Open on day three
Brett Rumford is well on course to become the first players in over two years to record back-to-back victories on the European Tour, as he entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Mikko Ilonen, at the Volvo China Open, on Saturday, May 4, 2013.
Last week, the Australian managed to end his six-year winning drought on the European Tour by winning the Ballantine’s Open.
This week, he once again showed consistency in his game, and is now in a great position to record another victory on the tour.
He started his campaign at the Binhai Lake Golf Club with a bogey-free four-under par 68, in the opening round. The second round witnessed him recording seven birdies against two bogeys to finish tied for the second position.
On day three, he surged to the top of the leaderboard, thanks to his three birdies in a row, starting from the sixth hole.
Talking to the European Tour’s official website, he expressed his pleasure in maintaining a good position in the tournament.
According to him, it was really difficult to create birdie chances throughout the day, especially when the strong winds overhauled the area.
Yet, he was happy to avoid making any mistake throughout the third round – he recorded 15 par putts and three birdies.
“That was a tough day,” said Rumford. “I really started to feel things on the back nine. I did really well to hang in nicely with some tired golf swings, I mentally stayed with it – physically not so much but mentally I hung in there. The wind was really
starting to dry things out so you’ve got to be very precise.”
The overnight leader Ilonen, in the meantime, struggled against difficult playing conditions and finished with a one-over par score for the day. His performance on day three included two birdies against three bogeys.
At the end of the third round, he was holding the second spot on the leaderboard, with an 11-under par overall score.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat was the top positioned Asian player, as he was holding the fourth spot on the leaderboard, after carding a nine-under par three-round score.
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