LIV Golf star Patrick Reed said earlier this week he had come here to win the US$2 million Link Hong Kong Open and not treat it as a warm-up, and he spectacularly backed that claim up today by shooting an 11-under-par 59 to take the third-round lead.

Five birdies in a row started it and four on the trot finished it as the American leapt into the lead on 18-under.

Indian Rashid Khan and Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand share second place, three behind the leader. Khan shot a 63 and Nitithorn a 66.

Nitithorn Thippong’s season just brightened up considerably after he holed out from a greenside bunker for a battling par on the 18^th to seize the first-round lead in the US$2 million Link Hong Kong Open.

The Thai golfer, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour but enduring one of his worst seasons, shot a morale-boosting eight-under-par 62.  

Defending champion Ben Campbell from New Zealand, Australian Kevin Yuan and Japan’s Kazuki Higa are next best placed following 63s, in the third from last event of the season on both the Asian Tour and The International Series.

Indian Rashid Khan and Korea’s Jaewoong Eom fired 64s – here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling.

It has been quite a year for New Zealand’s Ben Campbell since his sensational Hong Kong Open victory last November, and he’s hoping that some work with the putter during a recent short break will help his bid to defend his title and clinch The International Series Rankings title.

Campbell currently sits in fourth position on The International Series Rankings, following his victory at International Series Morocco in July and three top-10 finishes this year, including a T4 at the Black Mountain Championship and a T6 at the BNI Indonesian Masters in two of the last three tournaments.