Dunne six behind Yang in Qatar
DOHA, QATAR - JANUARY 28: Jeunghun Wang of Korea walks with his caddie on the sixth hole during the third round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on January 28, 2017 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Paul Dunne is six shots adrift of the outstanding Korean Jeunghun Wang heading into Sunday's final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
On paper, it's a considerable deficit, but while it's not impossible that the Greystones man could get into the mid-teens under par, he has another eight men to pass before he can challenge Wang for his maiden European Tour title.
A birdie at the 18th left Dunne tied for 10th place on nine-under par at Doha Golf Club after a 70 that featured bogys at three of the four par-three holes.
He went out in one under par, mixing a birdie at the first and an eagle two at the 452 yard fifth with bogeys at the par-three third and eighth holes.
On the back nine he birdied the par-five 10th and bogeyed the short 13th before clawing back a shot at the last.
But Wang, one of a record-breaking nine players to start the third round, pulled clear from the pack with seven birdies in a 65 leaving him three clear of Spain's Nacho Elvira and South Africa's Jaco Van Zyl on 15-under par.
Wang was crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2016 after claiming back-to-back European Tour wins last spring in Morocco and Mauritius and finishing runner-up in the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player in November.
He has hit the ground running in 2017, finishing 11th in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and the windy conditions in Doha have proved to his liking, as he produced a faultless display of shot-making to spread the field.
Van Zyl and Elvira signed for rounds of 68 to lead the chasing pack.
The Spaniard was keeping pace with Wang until a double bogey six on the 15th hole, but then hit back with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to join Van Zyl on 12 under par.
Van Zyl’s compatriot Thomas Aiken is a further shot back on 11 under par after a round of 69, while Ryder Cup pair Rafa Cabrera Bello (66) and Andy Sullivan (70) are in a group of five players tied for fifth position on ten under par.
Jeunghun Wang
“I don't want to think about the win. I just want to focus on my own game. 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 today. That's the key to my seven under. My putting was really good, too. I think everything is good right now. I like this course. I like the wind. I like the green conditions. It's pretty nice for me.”
“I think (finishing second at) Nedbank was bigger than the two wins for me. Nedbank is really big tournament, and there's a lot of great players. I learned a lot from it.”
“The wind here is similar to Mauritius. But the course design is quite different. I love to play this course. So I'm excited to play it tomorrow.”
Nacho Elvira
“I started hitting the ball pretty well. I think I was under control all the way through the last couple holes, and then my mind wasn't in the right place on a couple drives in the end. But overall, I'm pretty happy. I'm three shots back. I'm happy where I am. I think tomorrow is going to be a great day to see what it gets me.”
Jaco Van Zyl
“It's a good score but I really felt like I left quite a lot out there. I hit it nicely today and just didn't quite capitalise where I could. I'll obviously try and get them back tomorrow, and get some with interest.”
Rafa Cabrera Bello
“I teed off early this morning and I was aware that I needed a low one to catch up with the leaders and I'm really pleased that the low one came out. I felt I played really good. I was in control the entire day. I rolled some good putts, gave myself lots of birdie chances, so in the end, I had a good score but I think I earned it.”
“I've been struggling throughout the entire week to generate momentum, really. I felt I've played good enough. Maybe I had a few putts at the key moments which didn’t drop, but that wasn't the case today. That eagle at ten gave me a lot of energy and I had a good, strong finish with birdies on 14 and 16 and 18. So I’m really happy with that.”
Round Three scores
201 J Wang (Kor) 69 67 65,
204 J Van Zyl (RSA) 67 69 68, N Elvira (Esp) 67 69 68,
205 T Aiken (RSA) 68 68 69,
206 A Sullivan (Eng) 68 68 70, R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 70 70 66, N Kimsey (Eng) 66 74 66, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 66 70 70, J Lagergren (Swe) 67 72 67,
207 R Langasque (Fra) 70 70 67, Paul Dunne (Irl) 67 70 70, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 69 69 69,
208 M Korhonen (Fin) 65 71 72, A Wall (Eng) 68 69 71, O Fisher (Eng) 70 70 68, J Smith (Eng) 71 66 71, N Bertasio (Ita) 71 69 68,
209 C Wood (Eng) 69 70 70, B Dredge (Wal) 64 72 73, R Fox (Nzl) 72 70 67, E Els (RSA) 68 70 71, A Noren (Swe) 68 70 71,
210 A Knappe (Ger) 67 72 71, G Storm (Eng) 68 70 72, M Kaymer (Ger) 70 72 68, D Lingmerth (Swe) 71 69 70, A Karlsson (Swe) 68 73 69, S Walker (Eng) 68 71 71, C Hanson (Eng) 68 69 73, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 70 70, C Paisley (Eng) 74 67 69, G Havret (Fra) 69 71 70, L Bjerregaard (Den) 69 68 73,
211 R Ramsay (Sco) 68 74 69, D Im (USA) 68 69 74, T Detry (Bel) 67 74 70, P Larrazábal (Esp) 69 71 71, G McDowell (Nir) 66 75 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 67 71 73, P Edberg (Swe) 70 72 69, N Colsaerts (Bel) 70 69 72, J Campillo (Esp) 69 67 75,
212 D Burmester (RSA) 70 71 71, D Drysdale (Sco) 71 71 70, J Carlsson (Swe) 71 69 72, J Luiten (Ned) 71 70 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 69 73 70,
213 J Stalter (Fra) 69 71 73, D Lipsky (USA) 72 66 75, A Björk (Swe) 69 69 75, P Hanson (Swe) 70 70 73, S Dyson (Eng) 67 70 76, S Gros (Fra) 72 69 72, R Bland (Eng) 70 71 72, S Hend (Aus) 69 72 72, B Wiesberger (Aut) 70 72 71, A Levy (Fra) 69 69 75, F Aguilar (Chi) 70 68 75,
214 D Perrier (Fra) 72 70 72, D Frittelli (RSA) 71 67 76, D Fichardt (RSA) 72 70 72, S Lee (Kor) 69 73 72,
215 T Bjørn (Den) 68 72 75, M Warren (Sco) 69 73 73, B Hebert (Fra) 70 72 73,
216 P Peterson (USA) 71 70 75,
217 M Pavon (Fra) 71 70 76, T Olesen (Den) 70 71 76,
220 D Brooks (Eng) 68 74 78,
224 R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 73 82.
