Manila (Philippines), Oct 26 (NationPress) Sampson Zheng set up an exciting showdown for the final round of the US$2 million International Series Philippines alongside local favorite Miguel Tabuena and the impressive Sarit Suwannarut, following a remarkable 10-under par 62 in the third round on Saturday.

Thailand's Sarit (69), a two-time International Series champion, began the day four strokes ahead of Tabuena and Kazuki Higa. However, he was overtaken on moving day by the rapidly advancing Zheng and Tabuena, who produced two eagles and three birdies for a clean 65.

They led the pack ahead of Japan’s Yosuke Asaji (65), while South Africa's LIV Golf player Dean Burmester (65) and another rising star, Kazuki Higa (68), were tied in fifth at 14-under. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar (67) had a bogey on his final hole but climbed to solo seventh position at 13-under, one stroke ahead of Australia’s Marc Leishman (65).

Bhullar recorded a five-under round, remaining just four shots behind the leader, showcasing an almost perfect performance until a late bogey on the 18th hole slightly blemished his strong outing.

“I played really well today. I probably hit 13 out of 14 fairways and 16 out of 18 greens, so I maintained great momentum. I drove well, placed my irons close, and created many birdie chances. I also had a couple of excellent up-and-downs for par—especially on holes 11 and 17—which kept my round on track. Overall, it was a solid day of golf, just a minor slip on the final hole where I couldn’t get up and down, but I’m pleased with my performance,” stated Bhullar.

Karandeep Kochhar also excelled, scoring a five-under 67 to enter the top 20 heading into the final round, while Ajeetesh Sandhu managed a level par 72, featuring a notable eagle on hole eight, placing him T50 at five under.

China’s 24-year-old Zheng capitalized on his impressive putting, finishing with eight birdies and an eagle on the par-five eighth hole. His round included four consecutive birdies from the 14th to the 17th holes, capped by a crucial par save on his final hole, where he two-putted from 45 feet.

“I just hit many greens and sank a lot of putts. I honestly didn’t feel I did anything extraordinary, but I adhered to my game plan. I hit a lot of greens, landed many shots close, and fortunately made some putts,” noted Zheng, whose best finish on the Asian Tour includes a tied second at the Mandiri Indonesia Open and a tied fourth at last year’s International Series in England.

“My second shot on eight was probably the best shot of my day. I struck a four-hybrid to 24 feet, and the eagle gave me significant momentum, propelling me from two-under for the day to four, effectively setting the snowball rolling from there. That was a very crucial shot,” he added.

In the second round on Friday, Tabuena hit a hole-in-one and an eagle, and he continued his strong form on Saturday with eagles on the par-five third and 16th holes. On the third, Tabuena launched a four-iron from 257 yards and struck a five-iron from 235 yards downwind on the 16th.

Wearing a blue ribbon in memory of his friend, Paolo 'Paowee' Tantoco, son of Rico Tantoco, the owner of Sta. Elena Golf Club, Tabuena shared, “To be honest, I completely lost track of my score out there. I was just flowing and found myself in a real rhythm—which was precisely what I aimed for at the start of the day. I didn’t want to contemplate my score or worry about what others were doing. I solely focused on my game and executing my plan, and I was pleased to accomplish that today.”

“I haven’t played in front of such a big crowd in a long time. It adds to the special feeling that it’s happening here at home. I hope to seal the deal tomorrow.”

After making 16 birdies in his first 36 holes, Sarit could only add five in the third round, alongside two bogeys—one of which occurred on the par-five eighth.

“It was a challenging day. I didn’t strike my driver as well as in the first two days, and the pin placements were tougher. Overall, I’d say it was solid, but not as good as I hoped,” remarked the 27-year-old, who led by four shots the previous week in Macao but finished tied for fourth.

“I feel as I did in Macao. I know the score I need to shoot to win, and I’ll focus on that and strive to outperform the others. It’s not only about the other two; with how low everyone is scoring today, someone could shoot 10-under again and leap up the leaderboard. But I’ll play my best and see what unfolds.”

Star golfer and former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson scored a four-under 68 to ascend to tied 26th at eight-under. His 4Aces GC teammate and former Masters champion Patrick Reed scored a 71, slipping to tied 19th at nine-under. The International Series Philippines marks the sixth of nine elevated events on the 2025 Asian Tour schedule.