Van Pelt stretches lead in Perth
Bo van Pelt extended his overnight lead and looks firmly poised to claim his maiden European Tour crown at the ISPS HANDA Perth International.
The American picked up birdies on the first, third and seventh holes to move onto 15 under par for the tournament overall at the turn – three shots clear of compatriot Jason Dufner.
Van Pelt will be confident heading into the back nine after birdieing four holes yesterday to put himself in contention, which included a monstrous 60-foot putt on the 18th.
His nearest challenger, Dufner, had the opportunity to put the pressure on and despite picking up three shots, a bogey on the eighth left the Ryder Cup player with a mountain to climb, while Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo is a further two strokes behind.
Paul Casey has surged into the top 10 although his late rally looks to have come too late to force himself into the reckoning.
The Englishman is starting to show signs of returning to his best form after a year to forget and is currently six under today with three holes remaining to move into a tie for fourth, alongside Australia’s Steven Jones on nine under overall.
