Hong Kong, Nov 1 (NationPress) - The overnight leader, Tom McKibbin, continues to chase a wire-to-wire victory at the Link Hong Kong Open. However, he faces stiff competition from the American duo of MJ Maguire and Peter Uihlein, who are right on his heels as the final round approaches at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Starting the day with a two-shot advantage over Uihlein, McKibbin followed up his remarkable course-record 60 with a solid five-under 65, marking his second consecutive round without a bogey.

Another impressive round of 65 kept the Legion XIII player at the top with a total of 20-under, as Maguire surged forward with a spectacular nine-under 61, bringing his total to 19-under. Uihlein, after two late bogeys, ended the day at 18-under with a score of 65.

Leading Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri also made strides during the tournament, shooting a 3-under round to reach a cumulative score of 12-under, placing him at T18 on the leaderboard. S.S.P. Chawrasia finished the day at 8-under after a 1-under round, while Ajeetesh Sandhu wrapped up with a score of 7-under.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat (66), playing in the final group with McKibbin and Uihlein, is three shots behind in T4 alongside Scott Hend, who impressed with a six-under 64 after previously winning the tournament in 2014.

LIV players Charles Howell III from the U.S. and Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa are tied at 16-under following rounds of four-under 66, while U.S. golfer Charles Porter stands at 15-under alongside Korean-American Micah Shin (66) and Poom Saksansin of Thailand (65) after an impressive seven-under 63.

McKibbin's bogey-free streak ended early with a dropped shot on the third hole, but he quickly recovered with two birdies on the fourth and fifth. After adding three more birdies on the sixth, ninth, and twelfth, he encountered another bogey on the fifteenth, yet finished strong with birdies on sixteen and seventeen, regaining his lead over Maguire.

As the final day approaches, the stakes are high for McKibbin who stated, “It was pretty good overall. I felt the course was playing a little tougher - the pins seemed harder, but I played some very nice golf. I holed a few good putts, and everything felt solid.”

Maguire enjoyed a surge of momentum with birdies on the back nine and an eagle on the eleventh, exclaiming, “Yeah, it all kind of kicked off on 11, I holed out the second shot.”

Uihlein, coming off a challenging day two, managed five birdies by the fourteenth hole, ultimately finishing with a 65. He remarked, “The start was all right, right? And then the last four were bad, but it felt fine compared to yesterday.”

Ten-time Asian Tour champion Hend is three shots back from McKibbin after a flawless six-under 64, emphasizing his desire to secure another Hong Kong Open title. He said, “I’d love to be a Hong Kong Open champion again. That’s the main goal.”

Meanwhile, Kiradech, who faced a rocky start, rebounded with an eagle and four birdies to remain competitive. He praised the tournament conditions saying, “The team has done an amazing job here - the conditions are the best I have ever seen.”

The Link Hong Kong Open serves as the seventh of nine elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour, providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League through the ongoing Rankings race.