Sarit Suwannarut kept his nerve when it mattered most, fending off a charging field to protect his lead after carding a four-under-par 66 in the third round of the SJM Macao Open on Saturday, October 18, at the Macau Golf & Country Club.

The Thai star takes a two-shot cushion at 16-under into Sunday’s final round over Australia’s Brett Rankin, who fired an impressive 64. China’s Wenyi Ding sits one stroke further back after a 65, while compatriot Wocheng Ye lurks another shot behind following a 67, setting up a compelling finish on the Asian Tour stage.

Sarit responds under pressure to keep control

Sarit began the day with a three-shot lead and stayed steady through the turn to maintain that advantage. Playing alongside Rankin, he saw his lead evaporate on the 14th when the Australian pulled level with a birdie. But the 27-year-old responded like a seasoned contender, draining birdies on 16 and 18 to restore his edge, as Rankin dropped a shot on the 17th.

His only blemish came at the 10th, but overall, Sarit showcased the poise of a player chasing his third Asian Tour title — and his first since the Volvo China Open in 2023. “I would say some nerves got into me,” he admitted. “I am pretty excited to play good golf again. I mean, I wanted to really, really play good golf today. And I think I did it pretty well.”

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He credited his driver as a key weapon this week. “Actually, I’ll say yes, but at the beginning of the year, it’s not like this. It went everywhere, but now, now I kind of get some feeling of it, so I’ll try to stay hitting a good driver tomorrow,” he said.

Coming into Macau off a tied-ninth finish at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and a joint 11th place in Jakarta, Sarit is hitting form at the perfect time. “I will try to stay positive as possible tomorrow,” he added. “I try to focus on what I have to do. Try to commit to the shot and hit it and stay aggressive. That’s all I’m going to do tomorrow.”

Rankin, Ding and Ye in hot pursuit

Rankin, playing his first full Asian Tour season after coming through Q-School, is relishing one of his best tournaments outside Australia. “It was a lot more complete than the first two days,” he said. “I drove the ball great, my iron play was really good and my wedge game was a lot better. Usually when I’m doing that, I’m shooting good scores.”

The 39-year-old Queenslander, a past winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia at the 2019 NT PGA Championship, sits two shots off the pace at 14-under and remains confident heading into Sunday. “The game’s good. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and hope to be there on the back nine tomorrow. You can’t fake your way around with 14-under after three rounds.”

Sungjae Im of Korea (63), South Africa’s Ian Snyman (66), and Australian Jack Thompson (67) are tied five shots back at 11-under. Hong Kong No. 1 Taichi Kho posted a 67 for seven under, while American John Catlin — who famously shot 59 on this course last year — also carded a 67 to sit at five under alongside defending champion Rattanon Wannasrichan (69).