Conor Purcell could be on course for his best DP World Tour finish of the season after a third round of 67 saw him shoot up the leaderboard at the Volvo China Open.
Purcell recovered from two bogeys in his first four holes with birdies on the 6th and 9th to turn in 35 before he lit up the back nine.
A birdie on the par-5 10th got the Portmarnock man under par for the day and he finished in sumptuous style, holing out for eagle on the par-4 17th before a birdie on the 18th.
It leaves Purcell in a share of 21st place on four-under, eight shots behind local hero Li Haotong and the resurgent Eugenio Chacarra.
Li – the 2016 champion – rolled in four birdies and dropped two shots in his 69, with Chacarra carding three gains and a bogey to match his rival at 12 under and stay at arm’s length ahead of Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
“Definitely not my best today,” Li admitted. “Glad I still have a chance to compete on Sunday.
“So far, so good. I’m really enjoying the support of the crowd and I know everyone is routing for me so hopefully I can deliver something special tomorrow.
“It was a strange day. It felt that everything was going my way until number 10 when I went in the wrong spot and tried to be cute, and end up losing momentum a little bit. I just need to play better tomorrow.
“I’ve already mentally prepared for tomorrow, so hopefully tomorrow it will be just like Sunday (when I won) in Qatar. I just play my game. If I play my best golf, no one else can catch me.”
Spanish star Chacarra is battling a thumb injury.
“It was a grind, my thumb is not 100 per cent and the start was tough,” Chacarra, said. “It was a grind all day, we knew it was going to be like that, I started the day not knowing if I was going to finish so I’m glad I pushed through it. It is way better than it was after the round yesterday.
“Hopefully tomorrow it will be more back to normal and have the chance to chase the lead on the last couple of holes.”
Scoring HERE
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