– Dean Burmester (-17) and Caleb Surrat (-17) are co-leading the PIF Saudi International after the third round, having signed scorecards of 64 and 68 respectively at the friendly course of the Riyadh Golf Club, albeit with dizzying greens. The South African, who had a somewhat slow start in the first round, has today signed the best score of the day (tied with a good handful of players, mind you) to give himself an excellent chance of victory.
– Right now, the victory seems to be a matter of three. Burmester, Surrat, and the Spaniard Josele Ballester (-16), who will join them in the featured match and has also secured a fantastic opportunity to open his professional victory account after delivering a notable scorecard of 66. Richard Bland (-13), Adrian Meronk (-13), and Anthony Kim (-13) are the immediate pursuers of the aforementioned trio and are expected to have to go very low in the final round to claim victory. In any case, let’s not rule them out.
– Ballester finished the round with a bogey on the 18th hole, one of the several short par 4s on the course, where the big hitters draw an aggressive line from the tee over the water, thus ruining the certain possibility of finishing the day as the sole leader or, at least, as a co-leader. His ball had ended up in a bunker, with another sand trap ahead, and executing the shot to leave himself a final birdie chance was not easy. A small mishap of no major importance. In fact, it was his first and only blemish of the day and the second of the week, which gives us an idea of how comfortable he feels and the undeniable favourite status he carries into tomorrow. The most challenging part remains, of course, with an excellent competitor like Burmester in the fray, a player who already denied the young Spaniard a victory this year at the LIV tournament in Chicago, where both Josele and Jon Rahm fell in a playoff against the South African.
– The Zimbabwean Scott Vincent (-12) delivered his third consecutive 67 of the week today and has one foot in LIV Golf as the winner of the International Series ranking, which concludes precisely tomorrow. Only a debacle could remove him from the top two spots in that ranking, which grant access to the Saudi league. As for the other qualifier, there is a remote chance, given that the Japanese Asaji, who was second in the ranking coming into this event, missed the cut. The Filipino Miguel Tabuena (-11) worked hard today with a score of 67, but tomorrow he would need to finish at least in third place tied with only one player to surpass the Japanese in the ranking and secure the LIV card. It is very challenging, indeed.
– David Puig (-11) has also opened the doors to a great tournament finale. And it could have been even better, given his fabulous eight-under-par score through fifteen holes. However, two bogeys on holes 16 and 17 after three-putts slowed his rapid ascent up the leaderboard, although the Spaniard finished with another birdie on the 18th. He starts tomorrow six strokes off the lead, and victory seems out of reach, but with such an explosive player, you never know… Either way, he has the opportunity to close a remarkable week. Luis Masaveu (-6), on the other hand, finished the round with a score of 69, with late birdies on holes 16 and 18.
– The featured match of Burmester, Surrat, and Ballester tees off tomorrow Saturday at 8:55 am (Spanish peninsular time). Among other attractions, we will have the two young LIV players, Surrat and Ballester, fighting for their first professional victory. It may be their moment, with the permission of the experienced South African and any other inspired player who might come from behind with the healthy intention of breaking the course record.
