Fourth Time Lucky

Australian Scott Barr ended his streak of runner-up finishes at the Ageas HKPGA Championship last month to dethrone Unho Park on a gripping final day of action

James Stewart credited his caddie, YB Rai, for an improved performance on the greens

Second Round – 12 January

Barr excelled in the windy conditions at the spectacular clifftop course at Clearwater Bay to shoot a three-under 67 and take a three-shot lead over Park, who could only manage a 72, in second place.

Australian Barr, who was three-under-par for the event, finished with four birdies in his last five holes to surge to the top of the leader board, while it took a sublime eagle at the final hole to keep Park in contention.

Amateur D'Souza continued his fine play to occupy third place, a shot behind Park, while Rich Beem carded a 72 to lie in seventh place.

Hong Kong pros Nathan Goulding and James Stewart fired rounds of 65 and 67 respectively to make big moves up the standings.

"I was pleased with how it went today, especially on the back-nine, where I managed to hit a few nice shots and make some good putts," said the 43-year-old Barr. "I'm going to approach the final round like any other – I'm going to be aggressive. If I can build a substantial lead I might become more conservative but let's see how it goes. I'm looking forward to it."

Seventeen-year-old D'Souza, who came in with a 71, said: "I'm in the final group of a pro event, so it's going to be a great experience whatever happens."

Nathan Goulding fired a brilliant performance to shoot 65 on day two at Clearwater Bay

Pages

Click here to see the published article.