Bernd Wiesberger birdied the first five holes at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club to join Alejandro Cañizares at the top of the Maybank Malaysian Open as Moving Day lived up to its name.
Spain’s Cañizares and England’s defending champion Lee Westwood had started the third round three shots clear of the field, but Wiesberger swiftly erased that deficit as his remarkable form continued.
The Austrian finished sixth, third and fourth in the recent Desert Swing, and after an opening hat-trick of gains rolled in a ten footer at the fourth before almost holing his pitch at the long fifth.
At 13 under par Wiesberger joined Cañizares in front, the Spaniard having also birdied the first two holes before a run of three straight pars.
The biggest surprise was perhaps the fact that Westwood, a seven shot wire-to-wire victor here last year, was the only player in the top 40 without a birdie after five straight pars.
That left the 41 year old two back on 11 under, where he was joined by compatriot Paul Waring.
Seeking a maiden European Tour title, Waring had three birdies and an eagle at the long third in his first five holes but tangled with rough on the edge of a bunker at the sixth and bogeyed.
India’s Anirban Lahiri was fifth on nine under having cut through the field with an outward 30 followed by a gain from eight feet on the tenth.
A first par of the day was enough for Wiesberger to take the outright lead at the sixth as Cañizares found a greenside bunker and bogeyed.
When Westwood finally broke his run of pars it did not come in the manner he had hoped, the former World Number One finding a fairway bunker and bogeying.
Cañizares and Wiesberger both birdied the same hole – from 12 and six feet respectively – but the 29 year old Austrian dropped a shot at the short next after three-putting, while Westwood had a first gain of the day from 12 feet.
And it was Cañizares, who won in Morocco last year to end an eight-year title drought, who turned one in front when he birdied the ninth from ten feet.
Westwood and Wiesberger both got up-and-down at the long tenth for birdies, the latter catching Cañizares on 14 under as a result.
And Wiesberger, whose two previous European Tour wins both came in 2012, soon found himself with a two shot lead as Cañizares failed to get up-and-down from a bunker at the 11th and tangled with greenside rough at the 12th for consecutive bogeys.
Westwood and Lahiri – who set the clubhouse mark after a sparkling course record 62 – joined Cañizares in second on 12 under.
