Harold Varner III and Cameron Smith. Pic: Saudi International
KAEC, Saudi, Feb 5: It was a disappointing day for Indians on another tough scoring day at the Saudi International.
Shubhankar Sharma (75) and Shiv Kapur (77), the top Indians have now slipped to T-51 and T-53. The other two Indians who made the cut Rashid Khan (75) and Viraj Madappa (74) are T-63 and T-66.
Meanwhile, the battling Harold Varner III birdied the par-five 18th to finish one-stroke ahead of Adri Arnaus from Spain after the third round. Harold Varner III stayed in lead at 12-under with a card of 68 on the third while Arnaus (69) is one shot behind at 11-under with Tommy Fleetwood (67) at third.
The two players had started the round tied for the lead and went head-to-head for much of the day before the American returned a 68 to finish on 12 under while Arnaus carded a 69 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood, chasing his first win in three years, fired a 67 and is a shot further back in sole possession of third place, in the star-studded opening event of the season on the Asian Tour.
The US$5 million event features the strongest field in this history of the Tour and one of its most lucrative purses.
Australian Cameron Smith came in with a 70 and is fourth on eight under, while defending champion Dustin Johnson from the United States (67) is seven under along with Australian Wade Ormsby (68) and Ryosuke Kinoshita from Japan (69).
Varner is on the threshold of the biggest win of his 10-year career.
The American claimed the Australian PGA Championship in 2016 before joining the PGA Tour.
Arnaus lost the Acciona Open de España in a sudden-death play-off last year on the DP World Tour and will go all out to secure his first big win in the pro game on Sunday.
Fleetwood’s last victory came in the 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge so victory tomorrow will be important for one of the game’s finest players.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, one of the Asian Tour’s rising stars, recovered from yesterday’s 76 and came in with a 66, thanks to a birdie, birdie, eagle finish, to end three under.
His young countryman Ratchanon Chantananuwat, the 14-year-old golf phenom, carded a 74 and is four over for the tournament.
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