Tamsui: Panuphol Pittayarat kept up his chase for a first Asian Tour victory after battling to a two-over-par 74 in blustery conditions in the third round of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters yesterday.
The Thai battled tooth-and-nail under swirling winds with speed of 30km/h to return on four-under-par 212 and hold a one-shot advantage at the US$800,000 Asian Tour event, which is celebrating its 30th edition.
Home favourite Lu Wei-chih carded a 71 for second place as he aims to return to winning ways on the Asian Tour since undergoing brain surgery to remove a non-malignant tumour in mid-2012.
Malaysia's Nicholas Fung (71), Lin Wen-tang (74) of Chinese Taipei, Danthai Boonma (74) of Thailand and Miguel Tabuena (74) of the Philippines are a further shot back in tied third place on 214 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
The 23-year-old Panuphol, who traded three birdies against five bogeys, was delighted to hold on to his lead as most players struggled to make a move in the tricky playing conditions.
"It was a tough day in office. The wind picked up since morning. It was one of those days when you go out and try to scramble. To be honest, I think I'm ready to win to win my first trophy," said the Thai.
"I'm in a very good position for Sunday [today]. It was one of those days when it will be rough. I told myself to have fun and learn from it. Everybody is playing in the same conditions so I'm not complaining," added Panuphol.
Lu, a three-time Asian Tour winner which includes winning the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2005 and 2011, took advantage of his home course knowledge to charge into contention.
"The wind was very strong so I played low ball flights. It is normal for the wind to be blowing this hard here. I'm used to it because this is my home course. When it blows, you can't judge where the wind is coming from.
"If you asked me a few years ago if I can win, I will tell you that I'm confident. But after my surgery, now I have a different mindset. I just want to focus on my own game," said the 37-year-old Lu.