Miguel Angel Jiménez was fending off a strong home challenge as the third round of the True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain began.
The 51 year old Spaniard, looking to break his own record as The European Tour’s oldest winner, had shrugged off a bout of flu to card rounds of 67 and 66 to establish a one shot halfway lead at Black Mountain Golf Club.
Jiménez, already a winner on the Champions Tour this year, birdied the long second on returning to the course to reach 12 under par.
But he remained just one clear as his nearest challenger Kiradech Aphibarnrat followed him in.
Aphibarnrat’s fellow Thai and tournament ambassador Thongchai Jaidee joined him in second when he followed his routine birdie at the second with a 30 foot gain at the fourth.
Jiménez parred his way to the turn, and as a result found himself with plenty of company at the top of the leaderboard.
Australian Scott Hend almost pitched in at the seventh before tapping in for birdie to claim a share of second and he, Aphibarnrat and Jaidee made birdies within moments of each other to catch the leader.
Aphibarnrat holed a 15 footer at the ninth, Hend converted from six feet at the tenth and Jaidee followed him in having stuck his approach close to make it a four-way tie on 12 under
Spain’s Javier Colomo had set the early clubhouse target with a seven under par 65 taking him to ten under.
He was joined in a tie for fifth by India’s Jyoti Randhawa, Australia’s Wade Ormsby and Swedes Johan Carlsson and Rikard Karlberg.
