MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena failed to capitalize on moving day at the Macao Open, posting an even-par 70 that saw him drop from a share of fifth to a tie for 10th at the Macau Golf and Country Club on Saturday.
Rattanon Wannasrichan remained in control for the third straight day, carding a 68 to lead at 15-under 195. But fellow Thai Gunn Charoenkul charged into contention with a solid 67 for a 196, setting up a dramatic final day in the $1-million Asian Tour event.
Tabuena, who started the round five shots off the pace, birdied the par-4 third hole but struggled to take advantage of other opportunities, hampered by difficulties in the sand. His bunker struggles saw him save par just once in four attempts.
He bogeyed the par-3 17th, finishing with an even 33-37 card for an eight-under 202 total, now trailing the leader by eight strokes.
Despite slipping down the leaderboard, the ICTSI-backed Filipino remained hopeful of a strong finish, while Wannasrichan will look to fend off Charoenkul and other contenders on Sunday.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Chinese-Taipei’s Liu Yung-hua sit five strokes behind the leader at 199, tied for third, after 67 and 68, respectively.
Meanwhile, fellow Filipino Sean Ramos struggled to a 74, dropping to a share of 59th at 213.
In Japan, Justin delos Santos delivered a clutch birdie on the 17th to salvage a roller-coaster one-under 69, lifting him to solo sixth after three rounds of the Japan Open at Tokyo Golf Club on Saturday.
The challenging par-70 layout continued to test the field's resilience, with only four players managing to shoot under-par rounds.
After consecutive 71s kept him inside the Top 15, delos Santos found momentum with birdies on holes 9 and 10, breaking a string of alternating birdies and bogeys. He navigated the closing stretch with a bogey-birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-par finish for a 33-37 round, putting him just four shots behind co-leaders Ryosuke Kinoshita and Tomoyo Ikemura, who are tied at 207.
Shugo Imahira and Yuki Inamori are a stroke behind at 208, while Keita Nakajima remains in the mix despite slipping to solo fifth after a 73 left him at 209.