Along with his 63 on Friday, the Mexican recorded his second straight round without making any bogeys, putting some distance between him and the pursuing group, which included Spanish player Eugenio Chacarra and American Harold Varner III, who both shot 66 to get to 10-under par.
Ancer would go on to finish 36 holes at 15-under par, but it could have been even better if he hadn’t missed an 18-inch putt for birdie on the opening hole.
Ancer began the round at three under par, having only missed four fairways in his first two rounds of play. He has been flawless from the tee.
At that point, he was tied for first place with five other players after six holes at the 54-hole event, but Ancer quickly pulled clear of the pack.
He was unaffected by the loud music in the 135th anniversary celebration of the Hong Kong Golf Club, and he nearly completed the round with a 35-foot birdie putt at the 18th that played with the hole before failing to drop.
Ancer claimed that he was hitting the ball with as much confidence as he had ever had.
“I’ve had some rounds that I’ve felt the same sensations where you’re really seeing the shots and you’re on it and you’re executing the shot exactly how you’re picturing it,” Ancer said.
“It’s unquestionably up there. I can recall maybe two instances where it felt that sharp, and the shots’ shapes are typically precisely what I had in mind.”
“Enjoy the process”
Varner stated that on Sunday, he would simply try to play his own game.
“The most crucial thing, in my opinion, is to stop worrying about Abe (Ancer).” You lose that way,” Varner remarked.
“I think I’ve played enough golf to know that the best thing I can do is just give myself as many looks as possible and try to just stay within myself and have fun doing it, and I think the fun part is pretty easy for me.”
Chacarra, who will play in the last group on Sunday alongside Varner and Ancer, will adopt a similar strategy.
“Obviously Abe is playing tremendous golf,” he stated.
“I won’t lie: five shots is a lot of shots. I’m going to use the same approach. Where I am on the scoreboard doesn’t really matter to me. All I’m going to do is attempt to enjoy myself immensely outside.”
If Ancer struggles on Sunday, a number of significant winners are poised to seize the opportunity.
After rounds of 64, 65, and 64 on the par-70 layout, respectively, Cam Smith, Henrik Stenson, and the defending US Masters champion Jon Rahm are a shot farther behind in a share of fourth place at nine-under par.
“Obviously, I’m not going to play super aggressive,” Ancer replied.
“You have to position yourself and stay in the fairway on this golf course. I’m going to approach things that way.”
Current US PGA Champion Brooks Koepka was further down on seven-under par. He would have been closer but made two costly errors on his final hole, a double-bogey six.
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