Ervin Chang made a strong comeback push in the third round of the OB Golf Invitational, presented by Jababeka today, making up ground on Suteepat Prateeptienchai of Thailand who leads by just one shot going into the final day.

Trailing by three shots at the start of play, Chang was swiftly into the mix against Suteepat, making the first birdie and drawing level by the turn. He briefly took the lead on the back nine but Suteepat (67) picked up three shots on the run in to edge back into the lead at 15-under-par.

Ervin Chang of Malaysia. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Chang (65), who led the US$70,000 Asian Development Tour event after the first round, was pleased with his recovery around the testing Jababeka Golf & Country Club course and posted another bogey-free score.

“I started off really well,” said the 24-year-old Malaysian. “I missed a couple of birdie putts but I’m really happy with my performance today. There were a couple of mistakes towards the end but I recovered well and I’ve given myself a good opportunity for tomorrow.

“Yesterday the wind was a little stronger in the afternoon, which made the course a bit tougher. That affected some of the decisions I made but I hung in there well and managed to come back with one under so I wasn’t too disappointed.

“Today was similar to the first round but I wasn’t making as many putts. None of the pin positions were easy. If you hit it too long you can go 20 or 30 feet past so you have to get the ball in the right position to give yourself a good look at birdie.”

Chonlatit Chuenboonngam of Thailand. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who began the day in sixth place, made significant strides up the leaderboard. His five-under-par score of 65 moved him into solo third place, albeit still five shots off the lead. His compatriot Sarun Sirithon (64) posted the low round of the day and sits in fourth spot, a position he shares with Jeremy Wendelken (66) of the USA.

Lloyd Jefferson Go continued his advance today, moving upwards with Jonathan Wijono of Indonesia from 11th place yesterday into a share of sixth with a pair of 67s. Kade McBride of Australia was going well but a couple of late bogeys left him with another score of 69 and he joined the group on seven under.

Matt Killen of England also posted a score of 69, together with Chanat Sakulpolphaisan of Thailand, the duo ending the day with a share of ninth place alongside Piya Sawangarunporn. The veteran Thai, who turns 39 in November, started the day in the final group but slipped out of contention early on.