Darren Clarke crashed to a third round 79 to miss the secondary cut in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.

Less than 24 hours after the Dungannon native (49) produced a bogey-free 68 to make his first cut in a European Tour event for 18 months, he made the first of two triple bogey sevens at his first hole of the day and never recovered.

Set to join the PGA Tour Champions after he turns 50 on August 14, Clarke bogeyed the 15th, birdied the 16th but then made his second triple bogey of the day at the 373-yard 17th to turn in 42 before coming home in 37 to end the day at the back of the field on three-over and out of the tournament.

The secondary cut was introduced at last year’s BMW International Open to cover events where 78 players or more make the halfway cut for the top 65 and ties.

In order to speed up play, the field is cut to the top 72 and ties after 54 holes and with 81 players making the cut in Kuala Lumpur, Clarke's long wait to play at the weekend on the European Tour ended in disappointment.

He will still pick up prize money but the race for the $500,000 is now down to others with South Africa's Dylan Frittelli and Spain's Jorge Campillo tied for the lead after an eventful third round at Saujana Golf & Country Club.

Now fewer than 13 different players held a share of the lead at some point during the day but it was Frittelli and Campillo who were there at the end of play, carding a pair of bogey-free 66s to lead by one stroke on 15-under-par from American Berry Henson and Indian Khalin Joshi.

Dylan Frittelli of South Africa on the 16th tee during the third round of the Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images — Dylan Frittelli of South Africa on the 16th tee during the third round of the Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Frittelli, currently seventh in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, has not looked back since winning his maiden European Tour title at the Lyoness Open powered by ORGANIC+ in June, adding this season's AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to his trophy collection in December.

Campillo has three second-placed finishes since graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2011, but the Spaniard is still searching for that elusive first European Tour win in his 196th event.

Italy's Nino Bertasio, Japan's Hideto Tanihara and Ryo Ishikawa, Scotland's Marc Warren and Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai and Prayad Marksaeng are just two shots off the lead while the eight-strong group on 12-under features New Zealander Ryan Fox, who holed a six-iron from 213 yards at the first for the first albatross of the season.

He shares 11th place with Benjamin Hebert, Shiv Kapur, Pablo Larrazábal, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Yusaku Miyazato, Paul Peterson and Lee Westwood, who followed his second round 62 with a 70.

Dylan Frittelli

“It was a good round. I started off a bit slow but some good birdies during the middle part of the round and that kept me going.

“I said it yesterday, just patience on the greens. I think a lot of the guys are getting frustrated with the greens and I’m just trying to stay as positive as I can, and just try and speak to them nice and get the ball to go in the hole.

“I don’t normally get animated but I just thought those two putts were going in and that’s why I kind had a reaction there but I’m just going to try keep doing that, get as close as I can and roll the putt in and see what happens at the end of tomorrow.

“It is super bunched. A lot of Japanese guys up there, a few other Spanish guys, Jorge played great today with me and I’m not sure if we will be drawn together tomorrow but I’m excited to mix it up.”

Jorge Campillo

“It was good. I played solid for most of the round. I had a few tough holes but I managed to make the putts so overall I played solid. It is a good day.

“I hit a perfect driver and a nice six iron to about four or five metres and made that one. Always nice to start with eagle.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. It is a nice position to be and I’m excited.”

Berry Henson

“I played great today, you know, I still have one more day, I feel great and my game is good. I am just enjoying playing golf again.

“On the 18th hole, I hit a nice drive about down the right side and got a good bounce to the middle of the fairway, had 225 meters to the hole and I hit a five-iron cut around the trees and got it to about 10 feet and with an easy putt.

“I put in a lot of work after I got injured. I am super excited to be back on the Asian Tour and to play again. After this week I think I’m going to need a long break since I have been playing a lot of golf since the start of the season.”

Khalin Joshi

“I feel good to play a bogey-free Saturday. I haven’t seen a Saturday in two weeks so I was really excited to go out there and post a good number. I’m really looking forward to the final 18 holes because my game has finally showed up.

“I’ve been making small errors lately but I found some form going into Thursday so I’m feeling good. Things are turning around and the results are showing.

Maybank Championship, Saujana Golf and Country Club (Par 72)

Detailed scores

201 D Frittelli (RSA) 69 66 66, J Campillo (Esp) 69 66 66,

202 K Joshi (Ind) 67 70 65, B Henson (USA) 69 68 65,

203 H Tanihara (Jpn) 71 64 68, P Khongwatmai (Tha) 68 65 70, M Warren (Sco) 68 66 69, P Marksaeng (Tha) 71 65 67, R Ishikawa (Jpn) 74 66 63, N Bertasio (Ita) 68 65 70,

204 B Hebert (Fra) 69 70 65, Y Miyazato (Jpn) 71 67 66, R Fox (Nzl) 68 68 68, P Peterson (USA) 69 70 65, P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 70 64, S Kapur (Ind) 70 67 67, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 66 71 67, L Westwood (Eng) 72 62 70,

205 R Wattel (Fra) 67 73 65, G Bhullar (Ind) 68 71 66, Y Ikeda (Jpn) 70 64 71, T Detry (Bel) 68 68 69, T Bjørn (Den) 68 68 69, S Sharma (Ind) 70 69 66, T Jaidee (Tha) 69 67 69,

206 J Luiten (Ned) 72 68 66, C Paisley (Eng) 65 69 72, D Lipsky (USA) 67 68 71, A Atwal (Ind) 67 71 68, G Green (Mas) 68 69 69, M Kieffer (Ger) 69 66 71, S Jamieson (Sco) 68 69 69, A Johnston (Eng) 67 71 68,

207 S Lee (Kor) 67 69 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 69 67 71, M Pavon (Fra) 70 67 70, D Boonma (Tha) 70 66 71, D Kataoka (Jpn) 68 67 72,

208 M Manassero (Ita) 70 68 70, P Pittayarat (Tha) 72 66 70, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 66 71, D Horsey (Eng) 66 70 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 70 65 73, M Tran (Vie) 73 65 70, J Colomo (Esp) 71 67 70,

209 J Janewattananond (Tha) 68 71 70, A Otaegui (Esp) 69 71 69, G Storm (Eng) 72 68 69, A Lascuna (Phi) 69 68 72, T Wiratchant (Tha) 70 70 69, J Randhawa (Ind) 67 71 71,

210 S Vincent (Zim) 71 68 71, C Shih-Chang (Tpe) 68 69 73, A Dodt (Aus) 71 65 74, A Levy (Fra) 67 70 73, J Wang (Kor) 70 70 70, P Meesawat (Tha) 74 66 70,

211 S Chawrasia (Ind) 69 71 71, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 70 72, M Southgate (Eng) 73 66 72, J Pagunsan (Phi) 68 70 73, S Kim (USA) 71 69 71,

212 S Yates (Sco) 72 66 74, A Nazrin (Mas) 70 68 74, J Smith (Eng) 70 68 74, R Ramsay (Sco) 71 68 73, F Zanotti (Par) 68 69 75, H Stenson (Swe) 72 67 73, R Wannasrichan (Tha) 70 70 72,

213 K Horne (RSA) 71 68 74, A Connelly (Can) 71 69 73, J Norris (Aus) 71 69 73, D Im (USA) 69 71 73

MDF*

214 C Hanson (Eng) 68 70 76, N Fung (Mas) 71 69 74,

216 B Leong (Mas) 69 70 77, C Pigem (Esp) 69 71 76, M Siem (Ger) 69 71 76,

217 R Karlsson (Swe) 68 68 81,

218 E Pepperell (Eng) 69 69 80,

219 Darren Clarke (Nir) 72 68 79.

*Made cut Did not Finish
Where 78 or more make the halfway cut, the field is cut to the top 72 and ties after 54 holes.