Australian Lucas Herbert, a winner last year on the Asian Tour, put himself in position to add to that by finishing on the shoulder of the leaders after round three of the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort today.
Related: Travis Smyth, Wade Ormsby primed to challenge Yuki Miya
The tournament’s star attraction shot the lowest round of the week, a nine-under-par 62 on Millbrook Resort’s Composite layout to move to 16-under, two behind the leader Daniel Hillier from New Zealand.
Hillier, another of the event’s favourites, shot a 64, thanks to brilliant eagle, birdie finish – in the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, which is jointly sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.
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Australian Curtis Luck (63) and New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle (64) are in a tie for second, one behind the frontrunner.
Herbert won the International Series Japan last year on the Asian Tour, for his sixth international victory and will be expected to push Hillier all the way tomorrow.
The LIV Golf star, who plays for Ripper GC on the League, was three over for three holes on the first day but has got progressively better after every day, shooting 70, 65 and 62.
“We are somewhere near going into tomorrow,” said the 30-year-old.
“It is nice to get playing some good golf and be up and around the lead going into Sunday.”
He was bogey-free today, making five birdies on the front and four on the back.
He said: “Story of my last, I think four tournaments. Have got off to a shaky start and had to fight it back from the oblivion. So, it’s good to get back, sort of in with a look in the top.”
When asked how he would prepare for championship Sunday he explained: “I will go home and kind of decompress a little bit, and then just, yeah, just … I’m gonna say a heap of cliche stuff here that is not gonna be any fun for you guys as journalists, but literally, just like, stick to processes and do the things that I’ve done for the last 53 holes or 51 holes to get myself back in this position.”
Said Hillier: “That was a crazy last few holes. I didn’t have my best early on. It was one of those days and I had to stay patient. I knew there were a couple of par-5s I could take advantage of later in the piece. Thankfully I could do that and pretty cool to get one at the last as well in front of that massive crowd.”
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He will attempt to become first Kiwi to win the event since 2017.
New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya, who started the third round in the lead, returned a 70 and is 13-under in fifth.
He is tied with a trio of Asian Tour members: Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura, in with a 63, and Australians Travis Smyth and Wade Ormsby, who both fired 69s.
As well as the New Zealand Open title on the line tomorrow, a place in The Open at Royal Birkdale in the summer is also up for grabs as the prestigious event is part of the Open Qualifying Series.
