TheSportsCampus

Adam Blyth of Australia will need an extra spring in his game to ensure a swift return on the Asian Tour after shooting a third round even-par 72 at the Qualifying School Final Stage on Friday. Blyth is currently on the bubble in tied 40th position on two-under-par 214 and knows he must stay or finish lower on the leader board to earn playing rights on the 2012 Asian Tour season.

The Australian, who lost his Asian Tour card last year, admits the pressure is piling up in the all-important Final Stage where Dodge Kemmer of the United States and Japanese Yosuke Tsukada and Masanori Kobayashi are tied for the lead on 205 at the Springfield Royal Country Club.

"The pressure is different in qualifying school. In normal events you have the following week to make up for if you do badly and that's why most of these guys here are pressured to perform. I would really like to come back and play here," said Blyth, who has played on the Asian Tour since 2005.

"The game is in really good condition so hopefully it will all come together tomorrow. The pressure is piling up especially with one more round to go but you need to stick to doing what you got to do. I'm not really worrying about anyone else," added Blyth, who is among 24 Australians this week.

Tsukada, the opening round leader, credited the experience of playing on the Asian Development Tour for his solid performance this week. The Japanese is determined to bury the demons from last year as he missed the top-40 and ties by two shots.

"I still can't believe I'm on top of the leader board. My putting has been great this week. The ADT is a good stepping stone for players such as myself. I gained some confidence on the ADT and now I feel like a brand new Tsukada," smiled the Japanese, who returned with a 71.

Kemmer, the 2009 Scratch Player Amateur champion, turned in 36 before firing three birdies on his homeward nine to tie for the lead.

"I want to try and win, that will be good to have but obviously I won't take a lot of risks out there. I want to stay patient and conservative. Being in this position definitely makes it more fun tomorrow," said the 24-year-old.

Malaysian Kenneth De Silva, who finished in tied 12th place at the Asian Amateur Championship, kept his dream of playing on the Asian Tour alive when he tapped in for birdie on the last hole to finish on 71 for a 210 total.

"I was two-over after the 10th hole and I told myself not to panic and give up. After that I came back with two straight birdies and another birdie on the last hole. That was a good finish. I had an eagle chance from 15 feet but my ball lipped out! I'm still happy with my recovery," said De Silva, currently in tied 14th place.

Artemio Murakami of the Philippines, winner of the 2007 Iskandar Johor Open, was also tied in 14th place but he is not taking his position for granted.

"All the players are getting better. All these guys here know how to handle the pressure and their own game. I don't think I have an advantage. I might have some local knowledge because I played here before but honestly, I don't think it will make any difference," said Murakami, who won the 2009 Qualifying School Final Stage at Springfield Royal.

The third round cut was set at one-over-par 217 with 89 players making the all-important final round.

Leading third round scores

205 - Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 70-67-68, Dodge KEMMER (USA) 66-70-69, Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN) 63-71-71

206 - David LIPSKY (USA) 72-65-69

207 - Martin ROMINGER (SUI) 72-63-72, Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 69-64-74, Guy WOODMAN (ENG) 64-69-74

208 - Stephen LEWTON (ENG) 68-74-66, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 69-71-68, Adam GROOM (AUS) 69-71-68, Sushi ISHIGAKI (JPN) 66-69-73

209 - Joon H. LEE (KOR) 67-71-71, Jay BAYRON (PHI) 72-69-68

210 - Rattanon WANNASRICHAN (THA) 72-71-67, Kunal BHASIN (AUS) 69-70-71, KIM Gi-Whan (KOR) 68-71-71, Gabriel CANIZARES (ESP) 67-72-71, Kenneth DE SILVA (MAS) 73-66-71, Makoto INOUE (JPN) 70-70-70, Dale MARMION (ENG) 70-67-73, Yusaku MIYAZATO (JPN) 68-69-73, Ryuichi TAYASU (JPN) 69-67-74, Artemio MURAKAMI (PHI) 69-72-69