BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Branden Grace and Bernd Wiesberger yesterday played steady golf to remain bunched with two others at the top of the Qatar Masters leaderboard but defending champion Sergia Garcia slipped down the pecking order with a couple of horrible double bogeys and three bogeys.
Garcia, 35, yesterday carded a five-over par 77 at the Doha Golf Club (DGC) where Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo struck purple patch to join Grace, Wiesberger and Scotland’s Marc Warren as the four players ended round three with an aggregate of 13 under par 203.
Grillo matched Warren’s total with a bogey-free round of 67 while his playing partner South Africa’s Grace birdied the last hole to join the day’s leaders under bright playing conditions.
Austria’s Wiesberger also birdied 18 to share the lead for a second day with Grace.
Two shots behind at 11 under par 205 is a group of three golfers which includes South Africa’s George Coetzee, Spain’s Alejandro Canizares and England’s Eddie Pepperell who carded nine birdies for an impressive 7 under par yesterday.
Grillo, 22, will be looking to nail his first triumph in the Middle East after finishing runner-up to Stephen Gallacher in Dubai last year.
“We’ve got three great golf courses out here in the Emirates and here in Qatar, and I think that makes it way easier to have a good week and to try to win. I was close in Dubai, one shot short, but I’m going to try tomorrow to get my first one,” said Grillo, Argentina’s second-ranked player behind Angel Cabrera.
Grillo, who has played two rounds without dropping a shot, said he won’t hurry into getting birdies today.
“It’s going to take a lot of patience tomorrow. I was very patient today and I had to wait seven holes to get my first birdie,” Grillo, who fired five birdies for his 5 under par 72 yesterday, said. “The course was tougher today, so I obviously played better. I hit the ball better, I have a good feeling and want to try to get my first win.
“This is what I play for. This is what I’ve practised for my entire life. I think I have a great chance of taking my first trophy home. You have to learn first to win out here and I think I’ve learned a lot and I think I’m ready.”
Grace, seeking to become the fourth South African winner of the tournament, following Darren Fichardt (2003), Ernie Els (2005) and Retief Goosen (2007), fired six birdies but got held up by a couple of bogeys - on holes three and four - to card a steady 68.
“It was nice to start off with a birdie, but I got a little bit greedy on the third and the fourth, going for some pins I shouldn’t be going for,” Grace said.
“You learn the hard way through that. It was nice to bounce back the way I did and finish off the round with a good birdie on 18,” Grace said.
“I still have to play good golf to win. These guys are good and we all play to win and we are all there for a reason, so I’m just going to try to do the same and hopefully be one better,” the South African added.
Wiesberger, 29, finished sixth in Abu Dhabi last week and is looking to become the first Austrian winner of the Qatar Masters and add to the two European Tour titles he won in 2012.
Coetzee carded a 70 to share fifth place on 11-under with young Englishman Pepperell and Canizares, who carded a 68 as he continued his remarkable bogey-free fun for a third straight day.
Warren, who carded a 67 yesterday, said he was pleased with his effort.
“The last few years I’ve shown a lot of progress again. Came close a couple times. Didn’t quite go over the line and that was something that came quite easy, I suppose at the start of my career. Every time I was in contention, I seemed to win,” said the Scot.
“I’m confident in my ability to do that and it was nice to actually prove it again. It’s one thing to be confident and to actually do it is another thing. Definitely a spring in the step,” he added.
Among the star draws, four-time Major winner Ernie Els (70) sits seven-under, one ahead of World No. 5 Justin Rose (69), while World No. 2 Henrik Stenson (71) is four-under.
THE PENINSULA
