By Tony Webeck

Ji soars on Saturday of TPS Hunter ValleyOutstanding New South Wales amateur Belinda Ji will again experience the Sunday pressure of a professional event following a superb two-under 70 on day three of TPS Hunter Valley.

Ji and New Zealand’s Hanee Song are the best-placed women through 54 holes at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, Song dropping two shots late to fall to a tie for 19th at three-under par.

A member of the Golf NSW High Performance Program and based at Concord Golf Club, Ji began her second round with two straight birdies, giving one back at the par-3 third.

She dropped another shot at the par-4 seventh and then peeled off 11 straight pars to put herself in position for a second top-10 finish in a Webex Players Series event.

One shot off the lead at the start of the day, Song made bogeys at one and three before bouncing back with back-to-back birdies at five and six.

The 27-year-old made bogey at the par-4 eighth and then dropped shots at 14 and 15 in a round of three-over 73.

Japan’s Yuna Takagi soared into a share of 28th at two-under with a six-birdie round of four-under 66, level with Queensland’s Rhianna Lewis who had three birdies and four bogeys in her one-over 71.

A five-under par round of 65 on Saturday will see Lincoln Tighe take a one-shot advantage at 10-under from Jack Munro (67) with Victorian Peter Wilson (69) a further two strokes back in outright third at seven-under.

It’s a familiar position for the NSW South Coast native who lost in a playoff at the Victorian PGA earlier in the season and one he is now better equipped to deal with.

Renowned as among the longest hitters on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the past decade, Tighe showed a potent mix of aggression, touch and restraint to take the 54-hole lead.

He bombed his tee shot over the back of the par-4 seventh that served as the middle of a three-hole birdie stretch on the front nine.

After threading his second shot through the trees to the right of the fairway on 14, Tighe made an up-and-down from right of the green to remain 10-under, his back nine consisting of eight pars and a birdie on 10.

It will be more of the same on Sunday as he seeks to add a second title to his NSW PGA Championship win almost a decade ago.

“You’re always learning about your game. It gets hard when you hit it as far as I do about knowing when to have a go and when not to,” said Tighe, who sits 18th on the Order of Merit.

“It’s taken me a while but I’ve worked out when to use my strength and when not to.

“My swing’s feeling good, my mind’s feeling good so we’ll just see how we go tomorrow.”

As big moves were made by Justin Warren (63) and Elvis Smylie (65) in the early groups, Munro managed to rise above the fellow chasers with a late surge in the final group of the day.

A brilliant wedge set up birdie at the par-3 11th, he holed a momentum-saving putt from five feet for par on 15, holed a 15-footer for birdie at 16 and stiffed a gap wedge to just a couple of feet on 18.

After admitting earlier in the week that he had been reconsidering his future on tour, the former cardiac technician is poised to breathe new life into his career with a Sunday flourish.

“I’ve been having good scores, it was more just stupid things that I was doing,” said Munro.

“I thought I’d be a sniff somewhere in one of these so it’s nice to have a chance tomorrow.

“I missed a few putts early but I rolled one in on 15 for par. I hadn’t holed anything until then and I snuck that one in.

“That changed things a bit. You birdie the next one and then birdie the last and it changes everything.”

Thirteen players will start the final round within five strokes of the lead, Nathan Barbieri (67), Ben Wharton (68) and Shae Wools-Cobb (68) in a share of sixth at six-under and eyeing breakthrough professional wins.

Saturday also saw the first rounds of the All Abilities Players Series Hunter Valley and TPS Junior Players Series Hunter Valley tournaments.

Hervey Bay PGA Associate Lachlan Wood shot 74 to open up a five-stroke lead from Cameron Pollard in the All Abilities while Ann Jang from New South Wales Golf Club leads Desiree Herden (Pennant Hills Golf Club) and Hollie Fuller (Coffs Harbour Golf Club) by one stroke in the juniors.

A recent victor at the Vic Open Inclusive Championship, Wood is excited at the prospect of adding a maiden Webex Players Series title to his resume.

“Stoked with 74. It’s a really long course, a daunting course so definitely happy to have 74,” said Wood, who chipped in for birdie at the par-3 third.

“On my watch it said two-over because the members play it as a par 72 so it’s not easy out there.

“It’s a great event and great to be included.”