Miguel Angel Jiminez and Michael Campbell vie for Hong Kong title

Published on 18/11/2012 00:10

MIGUEL Angel Jimenez and Michael Campbell were sharing the lead with a round to go in the UBS Hong Kong Open at Fanling.

At 48, Jimenez was trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history, while 43-year-old Campbell was trying to win for the first time since 2005.

New Zealand’s former US Open champion sank an 18-foot par putt on the last for a 69 that matched Jimenez’s ten-under-par total after the Spaniard, right, played a superb chip to two feet for a third-round 68. One behind are 19-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, who shot 64 six days after winning the Singapore Open – and China’s 47-year-old Zhang Lian-wei, ranked 1,274th in the world.

Manassero burst through the field with a back-nine 30, grabbing an eagle at the long 13th and four birdies.

Campbell led by one overnight and resumed with an 18-foot birdie putt but was overtaken when playing partner Zhang birdied the next three holes. That was followed by a hat-trick of bogeys, however, and he could not get back on terms all day.

Campbell three-putted the sixth, came back with a nine-foot putt, but dropped another shot on the 11th to find himself in a three-way tie with Manassero and Jimenez.

Again he responded with another birdie, but Jimenez, twice a winner before on the Fanling course, holed from nearly 20 feet at the 13th and both of them parred the last five holes.

Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed was lying fifth, with Irishman Peter Lawrie and Dane Anders Hansen only three off the pace in joint sixth.

Welshman Rhys Davies, needing to stay 119th on the money list to keep his Tour card, had survived the halfway cut with nothing to spare and, after a third-roound with a 69 was in a tie for 53rd to one over. He is under threat, though, from Australian Andrew Dodt at four under. Dodt is 122nd in the standings.