TIANJIN, China (AP) — Brett Rumford of Australia shot a 3-under 69 Saturday to lead by one stroke after the third round of the China Open.
Conditions were windy on the Binhai Lake Golf Club course as Rumford moved to 12 under, one stroke clear of Mikko Ilonen (73). The Finn led by three shots at the halfway mark.
Rumford says “it was a really tough day and a very tiring day, and I really started to feel it on the back nine.”
Rumford is seeking to become the third Australian to win back-to-back tournaments in the 41-year history of the European Tour. He ended a six-year drought at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea last week.
Jack Newton (1972) and Graham Marsh (1977) are the only Aussies to have won consecutively on tour.
