Date: October 26, 2008
Author:

Gleeson holds nerve

Australia&aposs David Gleeson remained on course for a wire-to-wire victory at the Macau Open after establishing a two-stroke advantage following Saturday&aposs third round. Gleeson held a five-stroke lead at the halfway point of the tournament and carded a two-under-par 69 at the Macau Golf and Country Club to move to 16 under 197 overall. Chinese Taipei&aposs Kao Bo-song surged into second place on 14 under following a six under 65, while Thailand&aposs Wisut Artjanawat (68) and England&aposs Steven Tiley (65) were tied for third on 11 under overall. Gleeson had two birdies in the opening three holes before cancelling out a bogey on the fifth with a birdie on the sixth. A further dropped shot on the 16th was reclaimed on the 18th as the 30-year-old retained the lead going into the final round. Being in first place throughout the tournament has not sat comfortably with Gleeson, who admits he will have to combat negative thoughts to secure his second Asian Tour triumph following victory in the 2002 Volvo China Open. “Leading the round made me stressful and I had to think of a game plan out there while taking the wind into consideration,” he said. “I hope to recall my past success and manage the demons by not allowing the negative thoughts to creep in.” “I am confident that if I do the right job, I can win it.”