TAIPEI — Liang Wen-chong of China carded a bogey-free four-under-par 68 in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters Saturday, moving him up the ranks to lead going into the final round. Liang ended the third round one shot ahead of Malaysia's Danny Chia with a five-under-par 211 total at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club's Tamsui course in Taipei. Despite a solid round, the 36-year-old — who is playing in the tournament for the first time — has downplayed his chances of grabbing the title. “I don't want to think so much about tomorrow,” said Liang. “It's hard to say because anything can happen.” “This is a very special golf course,” he added. “The conditions can be different every day.” Liang is the only golfer from China to have placed among the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), but has since slipped to 227th. Chia, who is the highest ranked Malaysian on the OWGR, kept his place in second despite getting off to a rough start. “It was a bit of a struggle for me out there,” said the 42-year-old, who carded four birdies against five bogeys. Meanwhile, overnight leader Rashid Khan of India fell behind to finish in third but is not discouraged for Sunday's final round. “I am only two shots back so I think I still have a chance tomorrow,” said Khan, 24. McIlroy hungry to improve after ‘lost year' The form shown by Jordan Spieth and Jason Day this season has given Rory McIlroy the hunger to improve his golf game and make up for a “lost year,” the Northern Irishman said Friday. Four-time major winner McIlroy has dropped from first to third in the world behind number two Day and the top-ranked Spieth. Spieth and Day have both pulled off a string of victories this year, with the American landing the US Masters, US Open and FedExCup playoff crowns and the Australian winning the US PGA Championship. “It's motivating to see what these guys are doing,” McIlroy told the BBC. “You want to go out and work harder, you want to hit more balls and try to keep getting better. It has definitely given me that sense of hunger again.” The 26-year-old Northern Irishman ruptured ankle ligaments in July playing a friendly game of football with his friends. The injury meant he missed the British Open at St Andrews and led McIlroy to describe 2015 as a “lost year.” “I only missed one major but it was probably the biggest one you could miss,” he said. “I, for sure, won't be playing any football in the middle of the season again. “I'll still want to play football in the off-season and enjoy my time with my friends as that's what we all do but maybe be a little more careful in the middle of the golf season.” — Agencies
