Sunday 29 January 2017 14:12, UK
Jeunghun Wang pulled clear of a congested leaderboard at the Commerical Bank Qatar Masters after he fired a superb third-round 65 in Doha.
Wang, who enjoyed back-to-back victories in Morocco and Mauritius on the European Tour last season, carded seven birdies in a flawless round which lifted him to 15 under par.
The South Korean had started the day as one of a record-breaking nine players tied for the lead at the halfway stage, but he separated himself from the chasing pack with the best score of the round.
Wang picked up his first shot with a sublime approach to four feet at the third, and he added another birdie at the fifth before reeling off three in a row around the turn, holing a deft chip-in at the 10th and draining a 20-foot putt on the next green.
The 21-year-old produced another delightful pitch to set up another birdie at the 16th, and he rounded off an excellent day at the par-five last as he converted a confident wedge to six feet after being forced to lay up.
"I don't want to think about the win, I just want to focus on my own game," said Wang, who was crowned last season's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year after finishing 16th in the Race to Dubai standings. "My irons and putting are really good this week, so I think I have a good chance to win.
"I only missed a few greens, that's the key to my seven under. I think everything is good right now. I like this course, I like the wind and I like the green conditions. It's pretty nice for me."
His closest challengers are Jaco Van Zyl and Nacho Elvira, who lost out to Wang in a tense play-off at the Trophee Hassan II last season.
Van Zyl kept a bogey off his card in a solid 68, while Spaniard Elvira bounced back from a double-bogey six at the 15th with birdies at each of the final two holes to also return a 68 and join the South African on 12 under par.
Andy Sullivan is five shots adrift after an erratic 70 which featured an eagle and four birdies, but also four dropped shots, and he shares fifth place with his European Ryder Cup team-mate Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who matched Sullivan's eagle at the 10th and birdied three of the last five holes to card a 66.
Qualifying School winner Nathan Kimsey enjoyed an impressive seven-birdie 66 to join the logjam at 10 under, while Ireland's Paul Dunne is a further shot behind after a 70 which included the shot of the day, holing his approach to the 452-yard fifth for a thrilling eagle-two.
