INDIA'S Arjun Atwal, the Omega Tour's Rookie of the Year in 1995, is poised to win his first major tournament after taking the lead with a five-under-par 67 in the third round of the US$500,000 Asia Pacific Ericsson Masters yesterday.
He will play the final round at Bintan Lagoon Golf and Beach Resort in Indonesia with compatriot and good friend Jeev Milkha Singh, who is one stroke behind after a four-under-par 68.
Atwal's fine round gave him a total of 14-under-par 202 in the joint-sanctioned event between the Asian PGA's Omega Tour and the PGA Tour Australasia.
Australian Darren Cole fired a four-under-par 68 to grab third place.
'It's going to be fun,' said Atwal. 'Jeev and I are very good friends and have played together many times before.
'I played really well from tee to green today. I didn't miss a fairway all day.' Atwal and Singh, a winner three times on the Omega Tour, had started the day a stroke behind Nico Van Rensburg and at the turn were still trailing the big-hitting South African who led the tournament on 15 under par.