THAILAND’S Kasidit Lepkurte waxed hot all day Friday, shooting a flawless eight-under-par 64 to zoom to a four-shot lead over Indonesian-American Danny Masrin and two others going into the final round of the tough $60,000 ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic in Trece Martires City in Cavite.
Kasidit shot five of his eight birdies in the front nine to vault to the top and then built that comfortable buffer with three more coming home for a 207 aggregate.
The solid effort moved the relatively unknown Thai close to a breakthrough pro title and duplicating the victory of compatriot Itthipat Nuranatanyarat last year.
Two-round leader Masrin fired a 71 and dropped into a three-way tie for second at 211 with Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall and Japanese Toru Nakajima, who carded 68s.
Ryan Lam, the best Filipino after 54 holes, shot a 70 for 213 to be in the company of Americans Dino Giacomazzi and John Catlin, who carded a 65 and 70, in that order.
“I played pretty good—from putting to my iron [shots]—everything,” said Kasidit, who fell two shots shy of the course record set by Cassius Casas in the first leg of the 2001 First Gentleman tour.
Clyde Mondilla, the long-hitter from Del Monte in Bukidnon, moved within a stroke of Lam after a 67, catching the veteran Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk at 214 in the tournament co-organized by the Asian Development Tour and Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Van Der Valk started the day just a stroke behind Masrin and actually got it to five under after a 32 coming out before dropping three shots in the back nine.
“I just committed a lot of mistakes,” Masrin later said. “But the good thing about it is that I am still in contention. Anything can still happen [in the final round].”