PETALING JAYA: Shaaban Hussin stole the thunder with eight birdies to surge to third place in the third round of the PGM MNRB Classic at the Penang Golf Resort in Bertam yesterday.

The national golfer was in fiery form, sinking five consecutive birdies from the seventh to the 11th holes to tie with S. Murthy at 11-under 205.

S. Sivachandhran shot a four-under 68 to take a three-shot lead over second-placed Kemarol Baharin.

Sivachandhran has a 15-under 201 total while Kemarol’s card is at 12-under 204 going into today’s final round.

Shaaban’s scores would have been better if he did not get a double bogey at the par-5 eleventh when his tee-shot went into trees.

“I then hit some more trees in my attempts to get back to the fairway,” bemoaned Shaaban.

Sivachandhran had an ordinary round with birdies on the first and 7th plus a bogey on the fifth of the front nine and three more on the back.

Kemarol made seven birdies but his card was spoilt by bogeys on the third and a double-bogey on the 13th.

“I didn’t try to do anything special ... just played my normal game,” said Sivachandhran.

Kemarol, who is still suffering from vision problem, said: “When the sun is up I can’t see properly.”

Murthy was unlucky to make bogeys on the 17th and 18th. He could only manage a two-under 70 yesterday for an 11-under 205 total that placed him in joint third place with Shaaban.

Leading third round scores: 201: S. Sivachandhran 66-67-68; 204: Kemarol Baharin 67-69-68; 205: Shaaban Hussin 67-71-67; S. Murthy 67-68-70; 206: Md Rashid Ismail 68-70-68; 207: Zurie Harun 66-72-69; 208: R. Nachimuthu 68-72-69; 209: Mohd Iszaimi Ismail 72-70-67, Mohd Sukree Othman 69-72-68, Shaifubari Muda 71-69-69; 210: Akhmal Tarmizee 69-72-69; 211: Mohd Rizal Amin 72-73-66, Mohd Amli Mohiyadeen 72-70-69; 212: Nicholas Fung 68-75-69, Lim Eng Seng 74-68-70; 213: M. Sasidaran 73-73-67, Mohd Afif Razif (A) 75-70-68, Airil Rizman Zahari 74-70-69, Azman Basharuddin 72-69-72, Wilson Choo 68-72-73, Solhairy Sharif 74-66-73; 214: Kenneth De Silva 71-73-70, P. Gunasagaran 70-73-71.

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