Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel failed to find fifth gear during the third round of the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Grace briefly hit fifth gear indeed after turning in 32, thanks in part to an eagle on the fifth when he drained a 35-foot putt. That eagle was accompanied by two birdies to open his round as he sought to move from T15 overnight to somewhere near the top of the first page.
A bogey at the third was his only blemish as he closed the outward nine with a birdie on the ninth. That’s where the day turned from great to poor as he gave one back on the 10 – a par five and a good scoring opportunity.
A string of pars followed before he went drop, drop on 15 and 16 to come home in three-over 39 and just a 71 for the day. He sits in T24, which is 20 spots better than compatriot Charl Schwartzel.
Schwartzel birdied both of the front nine’s par 5s to climb steadily up the leaderboard, but a bogey and a then a double on the back nine par 3s saw him move over par for the round. Schwartzel got one of those shots back when he made a 3 on the par 4 16th to finish level for Saturday, but with little to play for in the final 18 holes.
Pat Perez was sublime as he opened up a four-shot lead over Xander Schauffele, last season’s Rookie of the Year, producing an 8-under 64 on moving day.
The American, who led by a single stroke coming into Saturday, turned on the style on the back nine with six birdies, giving him nine for the day against just one bogey. After three rounds, Perez is on 21-under 195.
‘These guys are so good and you can make so many birdies out there so fast, and I know that,’ said Perez.
‘So if I can get another six (birdies) tomorrow, I might be tough to catch.’
Schauffele remained within sight of his compatriot after a 5-under 67 — including an eagle on the 10th — while South Korea’s Sung Kang is a further shot away after a 7-under 65.
Defending champion Justin Thomas’ chances appear over after he finished the day tied 24th at 6-under, despite posting his best round with a 69.
The American had a double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole, but recovered with a flurry of birdies and an eagle on No 16.
Additional reporting: PGA TOUR
Photo: How Foo Yeen/Getty Images
