Johan Edfors, Marcus Fraser, and Richard Sterne had started on seven-under, but they too fell back.
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Oliver Fisher on a visit to the woods – he was one of today's losers.
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The one name that has not been mentioned to date? Oliver Wilson. Yet again, he has put himself into the final grouping on the final day, but has he done enough yet to secure that elusive first win on the full tour?
I mentioned yesterday that Wilson's partner Lauren had suggested that all he needs is a bit of luck – a really low score on day 3 to give himself some leeway for his final round. He didn’t quite manage that today, although he will start in the lead on his own at thirteen-under alongside Langer and Lin, after adding a round of 65 to go with a pair of 66s on the first two days.
Wilson agreed with the analysis: "Definitely right. I just need a bit of luck here and there. You see some people win, and they get a bit of good fortune. That hasn't happened to me yet, but if I can keep putting myself into position and the others do make a mistake, or if I get a bit of luck I'll be right there. Obviously I want to try to get ahead of the field and get a bit of a lead, and it was important to do that today, to at least come out on top."
What Wilson has done is to take out a lot of rivals, and keep at bay others like Iain Steel and David Gleeson, who came from well back with good scores today. At the start of play there were twenty within four strokes of him; tomorrow morning there will only be seven. I can hardly believe there will be a single person on the course tomorrow, player or spectator, who will grudge him his win if he can secure it. Rounds of 67, 68, 69 and 70 in Shanghai a fortnight ago left him a shot shy of victory; surely another 65 tomorrow to add to his scores of 66, 66, 65 this week will be sufficient.
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Oliver Wilson took time out after his successful round to pose for a photo with a young fan.
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Shot of the day: No question about this one. 144 yards to the target and a 7-iron in his hand. The ball traveled straight as an arrow towards the flag and rolled over the hole, coming to rest nine feet past. Forget Langer's exploits – if you want to see real artistry with a 7-iron check out this reporter's efforts on the UBS Full Swing Golf Simulator. I'm lying sixth in the 'Closest to the Pin' competition ahead of hundreds of lesser pretenders… watch for further news!
(China.org.cn by David Ferguson November 23, 2008)