Story highlights
South Africa's Branden Grace leads by three shots at European Tour's China Open
World No. 89 is chased by Belgium's defending champion Nicolas Colsaerts
Grace is seeking his third title this year after two wins at home in January
World No. 3 Lee Westwood's Indonesian title defense delayed by bad weather
Branden Grace’s rookie European Tour season is just getting better and better.
The South African golfer is on course for his third title of 2012 after taking a three-shot lead ahead of Sunday’s final round of the China Open.
The 23-year-old won back-to-back events on home soil in January, and is now sixth in the Race to Dubai standings with earnings of €655,255 ($865,000).
Grace, who earned his tour card in qualifying school at the end of last year, fired eight-under 64 at Tianjin’s Binhai Lake course on Saturday, closing with two birdies for seven overall plus an eagle at the par-five sixth hole.
“It is hard to believe that I am going for third title of the season. I don’t think many people expected me to do that and I probably didn’t myself,” said Grace, who started the day a shot behind leaders Gary Boyd and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet.
Record-breaking Chinese boy misses cut
“I knew that one win was round the corner but to win two back-to-back was amazing. Now I am looking good for the third but I have to try and not think about that too much tomorrow and go out there and play the way I have been all week.”
Grace, ranked 89th in the world, will be playing with big-hitting defending champion Nicolas Colsaerts after the Belgian shot a flawless 66.
Colsaerts was one shot ahead of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, the world No. 300 who matched Grace’s score to be on 14-under 202 after three rounds.
Frenchman Gonnet carded 70 to be in a tie for fourth on 203 with Sweden’s Alexander Noren – who carded 10 birdies in his 63 – South African George Coetzee (64), Spain’s Ignacio Garrido and Australian Marcus Fraser, who both shot 67.
Englishman Boyd dropped to a tie for ninth on 204 after carding 71, while the highest-ranked player of those who made the halfway cut, Sweden’s world No. 24 Peter Hanson, was tied for 37th.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, world No. 3 Lee Westwood will resume the defense of his Indonesian Masters title on Sunday after lightning storms cut short the third round.
The Englishman led by five shots at halfway, but completed only four holes on Saturday to be on 13 under overall and ahead by four from Zaw Moe of Myanmar.
In the United States, American Ben Curtis claimed a two-shot lead at the halfway stage in the Texas Open after his second successive round of 67 on Friday at the PGA Tour event.
