Rafa Cabrera Bello falls into share of lead at Hong Kong Open
Sunday 11 December 2016 12:29, UK
Rafa Cabrera Bello will go into the final round of the UBS Hong Kong Open tied for the lead after a third round blighted by errors on Saturday.
Cabrera Bello held a three-shot lead at the halfway stage, but two late birdies salvaged a third-round 70 while playing partner Sam Brazel fired a 67 to join the Spaniard on 11 under par.
After both players in the final group bogeyed the first, Cabrera Bello looked set to establish a commanding lead when he birdied three of the next four holes, while the little-known Australian matched his birdie at the fifth to remain five behind.
But a poor tee shot was to prove costly for Cabrera Bello at the sixth as he bogeyed, and he missed a short putt for par at the next before flying the green with his approach to the ninth and failing to get up and down.
The Ryder Cup star bounced back with a birdie at the 10th, but Brazel then birdied 11 and 13 to trim the deficit to one, and he soon found himself leading along with Tommy Fleetwood, who had eagled the 13th in the group ahead, when Cabrera Bello made a mess of the 14th.
He hit a tree with an ambitious second following another wayward drive, and he compounded the error by dumping his third into a bunker as he ran up a double-bogey to slip back to nine under par.
Cabrera Bello again responded with an immediate birdie from 30 feet, while Brazel added another at 16 before the Spaniard rolled in his sixth birdie putt of the day at the 17th to regain a share of the lead.
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"Today my score has all colours of the rainbow in it," he said. "There's been a lot of positives and a lot of negatives. I was trying to find a stable day where I was just playing solid like I had these past two days. Staying patient, waiting for the birdies to come and I end up going up and down all day.
"The best thing is I'm still in it. I'm still leading. Of course it would have been nicer to have a few to spare but I still would have needed to play great tomorrow and I'm still in a position."
Fleetwood cruised to the turn in 32 with birdies at the third and fifth, and he produced one of the shots of the day when he knocked his second to six feet at the long 13th and converted for eagle.
But he bogeyed the last to sign for a 67 and slip two shots behind the leaders, while David Lipsky vaulted to eight under with an entertaining 66 which included an eagle, five birdies, one bogey and a double-bogey six at the 11th.
The round of the day went to David Howell, who picked up six shots in as many holes around the turn as he made four birdies and holed his second for eagle at the 10th, and the English veteran went on to sign for a 63 - seven under overall.
But Danny Willett slipped six shots off the pace as he struggled to a 71 with four bogeys on the back nine, while Justin Rose is 10 behind the leaders after a mixed-bag of a 70.
