Khalin Joshi added two-under 70 despite a closing double bogey to move up to fourth spot at the end of the third round of the Taifong Open golf here today.
Joshi, the only Indian to make the cut this week, is now seven-under 209 and three shots behind the leader Jordan Sherratt (71) of Australia, who recovered from a slow start to stay on track to win his first career title after shooting a one-under-par 71 in the third round at the Taifong Golf Club.
Joshi, who shared the lead after the first round, will need a strong final round tomorrow to win his first pro title outside India.
Joshi was on nine-under after 17 holes but struggled to escape from the greenside bunker in two attempts which caused him to drop two shots and settle for a 70.
"I was playing really well but double bogeyed the last hole from the centre fairway. Overall, I felt that I played better. I just need to stay focussed and I think I can go low in the final round. I'll just play my own game tomorrow," said the 22-year-old.
Sherratt, 27, totalled 10-under-par 206 and will need to hold his ground against Thailand's Natthapong Niyomchon, who fired a 69 to trail by one shot in the USD 160,000 event.
Yeh Wei-tze of Chinese Taipei shot a 69 to charge into contention on a 208 total while local hopes Sung Mao-chang, Kao Teng and Lee Chieh-po were a further shot back in tied fourth place alongside Joshi.
Sherratt, who turned professional in 2010, got off to a slow start with bogeys on one and three but steadied ship with a pair of birdies after the turn. Another two more birdies against one bogey earned him a slender one-shot lead heading into the final round.
"It feels good to be in the lead. I didn't play my best on the front nine but I started to feel okay and eased back into the round when I birdied 10 and 11 from 10 feet. The putter let me down a few times today so hopefully I don't three putt as many holes on the last day," said Sherratt.
