Angelo Que of the Philippines brilliantly birdied four in his opening five holes for a third round three-under-par 69 to stay in the hunt at the CIMB Classic on Saturday.
The three-time Asian Tour winner continued his hot form by returning with an eight-under-par 208 total to trail co-leaders Kevin Na and title holder Ryan Moore by four shots at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Thailand’s Prom Meesawat was also in contention following a 70 which placed him in tied 14th position on 209, five shots from the leading duo at the US$7 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA TOUR.
The bubbly Que, who qualified for the CIMB Classic after finishing second in the Hong Kong Open a fortnight ago, will stick to his simple game plan heading into the last 18 holes
“I’ll keep it simple. Not going to try hard to shoot low. I’m just going to keep playing the way I’m playing because I’m making a lot of birdies so I’ll keep doing that, and hopefully, with a little bit of luck I’ll go really low,” said the 35-year-old Que.
“I’m getting more comfortable with the way I’ve been playing under pressure. I used to try so hard under pressure and force shots. Now I’m in a position without any pressure so I know I hope I can play well. It is just a matter of not thinking too much,” he explained.
Known for his striking fluorescent attire, Que played solidly except for two bad holes when he hit two poor drives on the sixth hole and the drivable par-four 14th hole which resulted in bogeys.
“I miss-hit my drive (sixth hole) and I hit it short of the green. Missing it short there is a no-no. On 14, I just pulled my tee shot as I was going on the green. I was a bit unlucky because I was plugged in the hazard so I can’t drop it. If it was just maybe eight inches further, I would be outside the hazard,” Que lamented.
“Those are just two holes where I messed up but hitting wise, I’m very happy with the way I’m hitting and putting,” he added.
Prom turned in 33 before hitting two ‘easy’ back-to-back bogeys from hole 12. He birdied the 18th hole to put himself within striking distance of the leaders.
“I made easy bogey on 12 and 13 but anyways, this was a tough hole, you know. 11, 12, 13 is like we call the Amen Corner for this golf course. Anyways, it’s a good round, minus two today,” said Prom, who ended an eight-year title drought in Chinese Taipei two months ago.
After watching his best friend Kiradech Aphibarnrat finish third last year, Prom hopes to sneak in a low number and make a move on the leaderboard.
“I target to go a bit lower to try and catch all the guys on the top. But I’ll play against the golf course and enjoy it. I finished strongly last week in Macau with a 66 (finished tied second) so hopefully I can go low again,” he smiled.
