Fowler in the hunt after Day 1 of American Express

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LIUZHOU, CHINA — Amateur Cheng Jin carded a third-round, 2-under 70 to extend his lead to nine strokes and remain on-course for a wire-to-wire victory at the PGA TOUR Series-China Mainland China Qualifying Tournament. In warmer conditions compared to the first two days, Jin nailed his fifth birdie of the round at the par-5 18th to move to 7-under overall, having started the day with a three-shot lead at Wolong Lake Golf Club. Zihong Zhang, 18, moved into a tie for second as the 6-foot-6 amateur shot 71 to finish at 2-over with Dongyu Wang (75), Jin’s former national amateur teammate, heading into the final round of the 72-hole stroke play event. Guozhen Xu recorded the day’s lowest score, a 68, to lie joint fourth alongside Yixin Xing (74) and Cilin Zhou (73) at 4 over. Kaiyan Shi’s 69 vaulted him 13 places into a tie for eighth as players seek to secure full Tour cards for the 2018 season, which starts this month. Jin, who won the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Hong Kong, missed a 3-foot par putt on the first hole, but the 19-year-old quickly regrouped to pick up shots on Nos. 5, 7, 8, 13 and 18 to move clear of the field. “As usual, I will just play my best and stick to my own game,� said Jin, who had five top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR Series-China in 2014 and 2015—including a victory at the 2014 Nine Dragons Open when he was 16. “I just need to keep striking the ball well. I think my ball striking has been great this week.� The University of Southern California sophomore will have some schoolwork to catch up on when he returns to the U.S., and he remains undecided if and when he will turn pro regardless of whether he secures PGA TOUR Series-China status this week. “I think it’s a great platform that the China Golf Association and PGA TOUR China are giving us, not only for the Chinese players but also many foreign players trying to use this to go to the Web.com Tour or on to a higher stage,� said Jin. “I think as a Chinese I am doing what I am supposed to do – grabbing the opportunity. I’m really thankful to have this opportunity.� Zhang was third after an opening 71, shot a shaky second-round 76 but returned to the top three after another 71. However, the towering teen was still slightly frustrated after mixing six birdies with five bogeys. “I got six birdies, but I made a lot of mistakes. I had two three-putts and missed some short putts, so I think I can do better,� said Zhang, who made his first and only PGA TOUR Series-China cut at last year’s Clearwater Bay Open.

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