Pattaya: Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and her close friend Suvichaya Vinijchaitham carry the hopes of host nation Thailand in the final round of the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship today.
Natthakritta birdied the last two holes for a four-under-par 68 in the third round yesterday.
She had a three-day total of eight-under-par 208 and was joined by Suvichaya (69), Taiwan's Huang Ting-Hsuan (70) and South Korea's Lim Ji-Yoo (72) at the top of the leaderboard to set up an exciting final round at Siam Country Club's Waterside Course.
The Philippines' Rianne Mikhaela Malixi (70) was in fifth place on seven-under 209, while South Korea's Park Ye-Ji (67) jumped to tied sixth place at 211 with Japan's Mamika Shinchi and Australian Kelsey Bennett (72).
The 19-year-old Natthakritta, who started with a bogey on the first hole but then made six birdies and another bogey, was eager to make up for her missed opportunity last year in Abu Dhabi, where an untidy back nine in the final round left her tied second.
"I really want to win tomorrow [today]. It would mean a lot for me, especially as the tournament is being played in my home country. I thought a lot about my Abu Dhabi finish and one of the things I can surely change is how I fuel myself. I did not have proper energy towards the end last year and dropped shots coming in. I want to make sure I eat well and hydrate myself properly tomorrow," said Natthakritta, the highest-ranked Thai in the field at No.38.
Suvichaya, 16, said: "I was struggling with a few injuries and haven't really played any good golf in the last two years. But I have continued to work hard and I could feel my game coming back towards the end of last year."
Meanwhile, defending champion Mizuki Hashimoto's chances of winning a second straight WAAP title were dented over the back nine.
A five-over 77 dropped her to tied ninth position at four-under.