Hong Kong, November 24: England’s Aaron Rai extended his overnight advantage from four to six shots by signing for a third round two-under-par 68 at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi on Saturday.

The 23-year-old traded four birdies against two bogeys to compile a three-day total of 16-under-par 194, a score which comfortably kept his compatriots Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick at bay at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Fleetwood signed for a 66 while Fitzpatrick returned with a 68 to share second place on 200 total while Spain’s Sergio Garcia signed for the day’s lowest score after posting a 64 to take tied-fourth place with Australia’s Jason Scrivener.

Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee showed he still can match up against the best players from Asia and Europe despite recently turning 49.

The three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion signed for a 66 to tie France’s Victor Perez for sixth place.

With Korea’s Sanghyun Park making his early exit from the tournament, India’s Shubhankar Sharma could extend his merit lead when he returned with a 67 to share 12th place while close rival, Justin Harding of South Africa fired a 67 for tied-20th place.

Did you know?

1. Aaron Rai has won three times on the Challenge Tour and is seeking his first win on the main European Tour this week.
2. He broke the course record at the HONMA Hong Kong Open with a second round 61.
3. When Rai won the Kenya Open last year, his Kenya-born mother tearfully embraced him on the green. This was the first time his mother had returned to the country of her birth since she left it in 1970.
4. Thongchai Jaidee is regarded as one of Asia’s greatest players, thanks to an unprecedented three Order of Merit crowns and 13 career victories
5. Thongchai’s last victory came in 2016 when he won the 100th Open de France.
6. His best result this season so far has been a tied-eight finish at the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour.
7. He hit 8/14 fairways, 12/18 greens and made a total of 25 putts.
8. Shubhankar Sharma made a total of 31 putts and hit 9/14 fairways as well as 15/18 greens.
9. Sharma won his first Asian Tour title at the Joburg Open in South Africa last December and went on to claim his second victory two months later in Malaysia.
10. Sharma has played in all four Major championships this year, following the footsteps of Jeev Milkha Singh in 2007 and Anirban Lahiri in 2015 and 2016.
11. He is the youngest Indian to do so and he was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award from the President of India in September.

Players’ Quotes

Aaron Rai (Eng) Third round 68 (-2), Total 194 (-16)

Of course, nothing is ever done until it’s done, and 18 holes is a lot of golf.  So a six-shot lead, a 10-shot lead, anything can happen. You have to be aware of that.  But again, something which I felt a little bit tricky today was still being able to play in the same way but just be smart at the same time. I felt a little bit too much on the back foot. So I’ll probably go back to the hotel and think about how to approach tomorrow.

Sergio Garcia (Esp) Third round 64 (-6) Total, 200 (-9)

I got off to a great start with three birdies in a row there, on two, three and four. I had a couple of good chances on holes one and five which almost went in, and then made a little bit of a soft bogey on the next.  But you know, I played solid.  I gave myself a lot of chances.  We’re going to need a little bit of help from the leaders finishing up, but you know, at least we’re getting a little bit closer. Hopefully I can come out and get off to a good start like I did today and see how it goes.

Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) Third round 66 (-4), Total 202 (-8)

I really enjoy playing here.  This golf course is very challenging because the greens can be very tricky.  I think you have to be mentally strong on this golf course. If you make a mistake, you must bounce back quickly.  My driving has been good and I’ve finally been able to putt well.

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) Third round 67 (-3) Total 204 (-6)

It’s not too bad, if you look at the scoreboard. But it really could have been better than this.  Yesterday I was five-under through 13 holes total for the tournament and didn’t really finish too well. Even today I felt like I left a few shots out there but six-under is still not a bad position, and a low one tomorrow can really help me. There’s obviously an opportunity to extend my merit lead. But if I just look at the tournament, I’ll take the top-10 right now.  I really want to shoot a low one tomorrow and play well tomorrow and do the right things. The Order of Merit is obviously on my mind, but we can only see what happens by the end.

Justin Harding (Rsa) Third round 67 (-3), Total 205 (-5)

It’s a big month.  It’s a big month to finish off the year on the Asian Tour.  It’s nice to have all the guys up there close, nearby.  I played with Sihwan today. He’s sitting in ninth place on the list.  He’s playing great. In fact, you have a lot of the guys that are obviously playing well, and you’ve got to think that they are going to continue to do so.  So, it’s a matter of getting the job done and doing your business and seeing if you can get lucky and maybe pass a few of them.