Jakarta, 5 August, Nitithorn Thippong, a player from Thailand, leads the provisional standings for the Mandiri Indonesian Open 2023 by collecting -5 on day three for a total of -18. Followed by Chang Wei Lun, a player from China Taipei, with a total of -13 until the third day, followed in third place with -12 by Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Steve Lewton (ENG), Scott Hend (AUS), Richard T. Lee (CAN), and MJ Viljoen (RSA).
Nitithorn played well by collecting seven Birdies and only producing two bogeys. With the weather being very hot and the wind quite strong, Nitithorn only had one flight, with Richard T. Lee and MJ Vijoen competing for the best results.
“I played very well today. However, it doesn’t feel easy. I had to struggle with my putt. I only focused on playing until the 13th or 14th hole without knowing how many unders I had made, so I had to ask the caddie. I hope to play well again tomorrow. I don’t want to think about position; I just want to stay focused and play six under every day. That is my target so that my shots can continue to be good,” said Thippong, who collected 67 strokes, or 5 under par, in this match. He scored seven birdies on holes 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, and 14, as well as two bogeys on holes 8 and 16. Played consistently for three days in a row, scoring 66, 65, and 67 shots.
Chang Wei Lun (TPE)
MJ Vijoen, who played very well on the second day, today had to get 3 Boogeys so that he was thrown to 3rd place, in contrast to yesterday’s second day, which was very explosive by collecting 8 Birdies and 1 Eagle.
What’s interesting about today’s match is Lee Chieh-po, who slowly but surely soared to 3rd place with -7 out of the 7 birdies he got and no boogie. Lee Chieh-po, who played with Hamil Jung (KOR) and Natipong Srithong (THA), looked very confident and played very relaxed.
Lee Chieh Po (TPE)
Meanwhile, the home player, Gabriel Hanzel Hari, managed to add -2 points on the third day. Being the only amateur player who made it through the cutoff, Gabriel was not awkward playing with international players like Sette Prakongvech (THA) and Hung Chien-yao (TPE).
“There must be pressure because the opponents are all world-class, but just make it enjoyable. And my game plan tomorrow will be the same as today; the tee off will always try to save, then the second shot will just try to attack.” – Gabriel Hanzel.
