Overnight co-leader Pijit Petchkasem of Thailand produced a solid four-under-par 67 to seize the outright lead in the penultimate round of the PGM Terengganu Championship here Saturday.
The talented Thai fired five birdies against one bogey for a three-day total of 12-under-par 201 to lead by two shots over teenage professional Micah Shin of the United States, who carded a 69 at the RM200,000 (about $60,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
Shabban Hussin emerged as the highest placed Malaysian when he returned with the day's lowest score of 66 to share third place with one-time ADT winner Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand on matching 205s at the Resorts World Kijal.
Local hope Abel Tam and young Thai Rattanon Wannasrichan signed for 67 and 69 respectively to stay a further one shot back in tied-fifth place at the Terengganu Championship, which is the 12th leg on the ADT schedule this season.
Pijit, who has notched two top-10 finishes on the ADT this season, is brimming with confidence as he put himself in prime position for a maiden win heading into the final round.
"Like yesterday, my short game was good. My irons were good too and I played really solid today. I've been doing quite well since the start of the season and I came close to winning for a couple of times too. I'm pretty confident of winning tomorrow!" said the 27-year-old Thai.
"I'm not too stressed actually. I just want to play my own game tomorrow. I will continue to do what I have been doing for the past three rounds. I will try and enjoy the game and not give myself any pressure. We will see how it goes," added Pijit.
