Thais Sarut Vongchaisit and Tanapat Pichaikool share the lead at the Toyota Tour Championship after three rounds, sitting atop the leaderboard with a 15-under-par total.
Vongchaisit, who grew up playing golf alongside overnight leader Pichaikool, took advantage of a hot putter to fire a six-under-par 66 and grab a share of the lead at the Asian Development Tour event, co-sanctioned with the domestic Toyota Tour.
"Oh man, I really enjoyed today. It was a lot of fun playing with my best friend—we've been competing in junior golf together since we were young," said Sarut.
"My putter was definitely the VIP of the day. It’s so relieving to see it all coming together after struggling with my putting over the past few months," added Sarut, who recorded eight birdies and two bogeys in his round.
Still seeking his first professional victory since turning pro two years ago, Sarut remains optimistic about his chances heading into the final round, where he will once again play alongside Pichaikool.
"I have not had any professional wins, so it would mean a lot to get my first one here. Let’s see who has the better round tomorrow."
Pichaikool matched Sarut’s aggregate after posting his third consecutive five-under-par 67 at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. His round included three birdies and one bogey on the front nine as he worked to find his rhythm.
"It was a bit of a slow start today—not so hot off the grid—but I got it back on the finishing nine, so it’s not too bad," said the 25-year-old. His back nine featured one eagle, four birdies, and three bogeys.
With three professional titles under his belt, including a victory at the Indonesia Pro-Am in September, Pichaikool has the chance to make tomorrow’s final round even more special as it coincides with his birthday.
"It would be a great gift for my birthday tomorrow. But again, golf is tough to predict, so even finishing in the top three would be a very good gift for me."
Trailing the leaders by four strokes is fellow Thai Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng, who returned a second consecutive 66. Another five players sit one shot back in a tie for fourth on 10-under-par.
Among the Malaysians, Edven Ying and Daeng Abdul Rahman continue to lead the local contingent. Ying carded a two-under-par 70, while Daeng posted a three-under-par 69. Both are tied for 10th at seven-under-par, alongside four others.
Heading into the final round, the pair are focused on finishing strong.
"Still the same goal as I had coming into the week—it’d be great to work towards another top-10 finish," said Daeng.
"I feel like my game is going in the right direction, so a good finish this week would be a great way to end the year," added Ying.
Leading Third Round Scores
201 (-15) Sarut Vongchaisit (THA) 70-65-66, Tanapat Pichaikool (THA) 67-67-67
205 (-11) Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng (THA) 73-66-66
206 (-10) Ayoub Lguirati (MAR) 69-71-66, Matt Killen (ENG) 71-67-68, Tawit Polthai (THA) 70-68-68, Ben Jones (ENG) 66-70-70, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 68-68-70
208 (-8) Nirun Sae-ueng (THA) 69-66-73
209 (-7) Sarun Sirithon (THA) 71-69-69, Edven Ying (MAS) 68-71-70, Daeng Abdul Rahman (MAS) 67-73-69, Amarin Kraivixien (THA) 69-69-71, Pukhraj Singh Gill (IND) 68-70-71, Aman Raj (IND) 71-71-67
