Tricky greens and difficult rough hint at testing times to come as battle for major places and prestigious title goes down to the wire

Fanling has finally bared its teeth and there will be an 18-hole shoot-out on Sunday that hopefully proves worthy of the rich rewards awaiting the Link Hong Kong Open champion.

It should be a five-star affair as well, with a leaderboard heavy on LIV Golf talent and the strong possibility of a home golfer winning for the first time.

Tied at the top on 14-under-par sit John Catlin, Thomas Pieters, Anirban Lahiri and Caleb Surratt, while Kalle Samooja, once of Cleeks GC and owner of a third-round 63, and Hongkonger Matthew Cheung are two shots back.

Even the likes of Nick Voke, on 11 under, and the trio of Chase Koepka, Sampson Zheng and MJ Viljoen at 10 under will fancy their chances of claiming a spot at the Masters and the 155th Open Championship alongside a healthy winner’s cheque, even if there is every indication of a sterner test than in days gone by.

Whether lessons have been learned, or the unseasonably hot weather has forced the issue is debatable, but Saturday’s third round suggests last year’s toothless set-up that allowed Tom McKibbin to reach 27-under-par and win by seven strokes has gone.

Much of that difference lay in the greens, which Pieters called “crusty”, and in rough the former 4Aces GC member said had been “really soft and I would say easy” during the LIV event at Fanling in March.

“Now it doesn’t play quite as easy,” Pieters, who carded a five under 65, added. “You miss a fairway, you’re instantly thinking, how am I going to make par?”

Even Lahiri, who is no stranger to the course and said earlier in the week he liked it firm and fast, was caught out by the changes from the first two days at Hong Kong Golf Club.

For the Crushers GC golfer, there was early evidence of the tricky greens that were to follow. A birdie putt on the first from a sidehill lie did far more than expected.

“Today was one of those days where I just hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of looks, but ended up on the wrong side of the hole,” Lahiri, who came home with a four under 66, said. “I had too many downhill sidehill putts, and when the greens get like this, you’d rather be 25ft uphill than 12ft downhill sidehill, because you’re almost trying not to hit it 4ft by.”

Lahiri made the early running this week, and led after the first round having shot a 62. What it will take to win given the course “will not get any easier” is not something he wanted to commit to.

“I would have thought I had to get closer to 18 or 19 [under par] today, if the course played the way it did the first two days,” he added. “But today the golf course played completely different, and tomorrow will probably be a tougher version of what we saw today.”

Catlin’s reaction to getting up and down from the front bunker on 18 to save par said much about the battle to come.

The American, who has won multiple times on the Asian Tour, gave a little fist pump after knocking in the putt for par that sealed his round of 65.

“This is one of those courses where it can be difficult to like really, really distance yourself,” Catlin said. “I think this is my fourth or fifth Hong Kong Open, and every one I’ve been a part of has been pretty close.

“It’s one of those courses where you gotta just battle it out, and you know it’s probably going to come down to those last few holes.”

Eighteen has been the scene of plenty of drama down the years, from Rory McIlroy holing out from the same greenside bunker Catlin found himself in to win in 2011, to Ben Campbell’s 15ft birdie putt three years ago.

Fortunes, of course, can change earlier in a round, for good or bad, and on Saturday it was the 17th that influenced proceedings, although how much remains to be seen.

Surratt was on 15 under when he came unstuck at the 406-yard par-4, the third and final blemish in a round of 67.

In contrast, the same hole was the only bright spot in Cheung’s round of 72. The Hongkonger began the day three shots clear of the field on 14 under, and was three shots back at one stage as his game began to unravel.

A birdie changed the narrative on the day, although the 31-year-old was quick to point out that he would have “been ecstatic” to be offered that position at the start of the week.

“I didn’t have the best day out there but I grinded it out, got a good birdie on the 17th to keep myself in it,” Cheung said. “It is definitely a bit of pressure but also motivation to play with the guys who were in my group. They are some of the best players in the world, and comparing myself to them, I know I will get there.”