A birdie at the last hole ensured Shellharbour product Travis Smyth is firmly in the hunt for the NSW Open title at Twin Creeks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Smyth carded seven birdies on the way to a six-under par 66 to be at 16-under, one behind leaders Min Woo Lee and Justin Warren, who set the pace for most of Saturday, at -17.
But Smyth was left to rue a missed opportunity with the one bogey he made at 525m par five 15th.
In the first two rounds, Smyth had an eagle and birdie, but found trouble and had a green-side chip for par, then a short putt for bogey.
However, Lee crucially dropped a shot on the last, meaning Smyth's deficit is just one heading into Sunday's action.
Smyth has struck form heading into the Australian summer, with a tied for 12th placing at the Shinhan Donghae Open in South Korea, followed by tied for 14th at the Panasonic Open in India and T18 at the Sabah Masters in Malaysia.
Port Kembla's Jordan Zunic was tied for 19th after moving to seven-under, after a solid back nine on Saturday.
Illawarra's longest hitter Lincoln Tighe is at -4, to be tied for 39th after consistent rounds of 70, 71 and 71.
While you're with us the Illawarra Mercury is offering sport readers 20% off an annual digital subscription. Sign up to stay up to date with all the local sports you love for only $3 a week. Terms and conditions apply.