Argentina's Emiliano Grillo battled bravely to hold his lead in the third round of the Perth International Saturday before being gunned down by two more experienced rivals, Americans Bo Van Pelt and Jason Dufner. World number 24 Van Pelt holed a 15-metre putt from the back tier of the 18th green at the end of the day to grab a one shot lead over world number 10 Dufner at the US $2 million tournament at Lake Karrinyup.
He said he was pleased to end the day with momentum, adding: "It was just nice to finish with a birdie like that and hopefully take that into tomorrow." Both Van Pelt and Dufner had third round 67's around the hilly par 72 layout with its treacherous undulating greens.
Twenty-year-old Grillo, seeking the first win of his short professional career, had four bogeys on the back nine for a disappointing 73 which left him two from the leader. Van Pelt, 12 under par for three rounds on 204, was full of praise for Grillo who led on the first two days. "He played a lot better than his score today," he said.