Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub took advantage of a late slip up by Malaysia’s Ervin Chang to seize the initiative in today’s Aramco Invitational Tournament, posting a six under par 66 to grab a share of the lead.

Chang (68), who started the day leading alongside English amateur Harley Smith, had been enjoying a comfortable advantage over the field until the 16th hole, where an unfortunate double bogey slowed his charge.

“Overall I was pretty happy with the ball striking today,“ said Chang after his round, “but I definitely need to work on the putting a little bit more.

“I made a double on 16 and that kind of set me back a little bit. That was very frustrating and I wasn’t able to birdie the par five 17 but then I had a good birdie on 18 which gives me a little bit more confidence and some momentum going into the final round.”.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Ervin Chang of Malaysia pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.

Australia’s Aaron Wilkin (68), who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, is another of the year’s tournament winners eyeing up the chance to win an Asian Tour card for next year.

“Today wasn’t too bad,” he said after turning in his card. “A little bit of a shaky start but mostly positive. I’m optimistic I can have a good round tomorrow.

“There’s a lot on the line,” he added, “but I’m just going to go out there, try to freewheel it and hopefully get it done.”

Following the conclusion of the US$250,000 season-ending Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament, the top ten finishers in the ADT Order of Merit will earn the right to tee it up on the lucrative Asian Tour circuit in 2024.

Deyen Lawson of Australia, the current OOM leader with season-long winnings of US$50,381, was forced to withdraw through injury after the first round this week, and with first prize being worth US$45,000, the field is wide open for anyone who posts a good finish.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Aaron Wilkin of Australia pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.

As Denwit explained after his round, everyone will have their eyes on the prize tomorrow.

“A win for me could be a life-changing experience, being on the Asian Tour next year, and (hopefully) as the Order of Merit winner.”

England’s William Harrold posted the low score of the day with an eight under par 66 to grab third place, only a single dropped shott marred an otherwise perfect round.

Chi Quan Truong (67) of Vietnam joined Japan’s Naoki Sekito (67) in fifth spot on nine under par, with the Japanese golfer rescuing an otherwise difficult finish to his round with an eagle on the par four 18th.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: William Harrold of England pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.

Teenage Essex golfer Smith, who set the early pace to the tournament with a blistering seven under par in Round One, was unable to sustain his momentum and slipped to seventh place with a disappointing 73.

He ended the day sharing the place on seven under par with Sweden’s Calle Strandberg (67), Minhyeok Yang (68) of Korea, England’s Luke Joy (65) and Pattaraphol Khanthacha (71) of Thailand.

Asian Tour stalwart Berry Henson (69) of the USA, India’s Khalin Joshi (66) and Shinichi Mizuno of Japan round out the top 15 on six under par.

Play for the fourth and final round begins tomorrow at 8am local time, with the final group teeing off at 9.39am.