Share

Spieth remains in contention

Singapore - World number one Jordan Spieth stayed in the hunt for the SMBC Singapore Open title on Saturday after narrowing the gap to leader Song Young-Han of South Korea before fading light halted play.

The American had two more holes to complete and trailed Song by three strokes at the Sentosa Golf Club when the horn sounded for the remaining flights to return to the clubhouse.

Three other players are also hot on the heels of the South Korean in the $1.0 million tournament.

China's Liang Wen-Chong trails by a stroke, and Japan's Shintaro Kobayashi and South African Keith Horne by two.

The last flight that included Song completed only 13 holes, and a total of 15 players will return to the Serapong Course on Sunday morning to resume play before the start of the final round.

Spieth, 22, had a mixed day, playing the remaining 12 holes that were carried over from Friday after play was halted due to inclement weather.

The Texan finished the round with three birdies and two bogeys.

"The bogey did hurt on the last," said the US Open and Masters champion before heading for the penultimate round.

Spieth is playing without regular caddie Michael Greller, who is recovering from an ankle injury sustained at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii earlier this month.

His agent, Jay Danzi, is standing in as Greller's replacement.

"I made all my putts inside six feet yesterday but missed five or six today. I've just got to get comfortable on the shorter length putts," said Spieth, who is playing in Singapore for the first time.

"These kinds of delays (due to bad weather) have happened before, in professional and college golf, you have to get used to it. Gotta be prepared to play a lot of golf."

Spieth's erratic form continued in round three.

Despite two birdies in the first nine, he struggled to find the fairway from the tees, hit the bunker four times and failed to make par on the fifth hole.

Although he was hit by another bogey in the home stretch, Speith's form kicked in.

His drives found their mark and the short game found the putts, hitting another birdie on the 12th hole.

Song failed to make any headway, after putting in an outstanding round the previous day, with bogeys in the fifth and 11th holes cancelling out the two birdies he shot on the third and fourth.

But he remains hopeful of snatching a first career win on Sunday despite the chasing pack.

"I have had many second place finishes in Japan and Korea but I do not think that will affect me (mentally) tomorrow," said the 24-year-old.

Completed scores after round three:

205 - Liang Wen-chong (CHN)

207- Wang Jeunghun (KOR), Lee Won-joon (AUS), Akio Sadakata (JPN)

208 - Berry Henson (USA), Choi Jinho (KOR), Brett Munson (USA)

209 - Sam Brazel (AUS)

210 - Daisuke Kataoka (JPN), Lee Soomin (KOR), Masahiro Kawamura (JPN), Yoshinori Fujimoto (JPN), Chapchai Nirat (THA), Yuta Ikeda (JPN), Yusaku Miyazato (JPN)


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Glasgow Warriors 0
Sharks 0
loading... Live
North West 54/2
Warriors RSA 145/7
loading... Live
Titans RSA 50/1
Lions 154/8
loading... Live
Western Province 173/4
Boland 75/6
loading... Live
Ulster 0
Cardiff Rugby 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE