India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill gritted his way to a third round 70 to inch closer to a breakthrough Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A, topping the leaderboard on 13-under-par 203 with one round to go at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

At the end of a wet and energy-sapping day at Saujana’s Palm Course, Gill leads by a solitary shot from Sean Ramos of the Philippines who carded a solid 67. Thai rookie Thanawin Lee is in third place on nine-under-par after a third round 73, a shot clear of Singapore’s Nicklaus Chiam who also shot 73.

Following the conclusion of the rain-delayed second round in the morning, 60 players progressed to the third round which teed off at 10.30am on a shotgun start. The weather refused to cooperate for the third day running, as rain and lightning forced the suspension of play at 12.56pm. The threat cleared after a long wait, and the players resumed their rounds at 4.10pm, with the entire field managing to complete 18 holes.

Gill, 29, is hoping that he can last the pace and claim the US$19,250 winner’s cheque and a long-awaited ADT title. He won one event on the Indian Golf Premier League last year, emerging as the new circuit’s Order of Merit winner.

“It’s been a long day, so kind of hanging in there. A test of patience, I think, and also just getting comfortable leading. It’s nice to have a one-shot cushion going into tomorrow, but it’s going to be a good test,” said Gill, who shot superb scores of 66 and 67 in the first two rounds.

Gill coloured his scorecard with an eagle, three birdies, one bogey and an unfortunate double bogey.

“I made an eagle two at the fourth hole after a great drive and a chip which fortunately ended up in the hole. I lost my ball a little to the right at the 11th and, the rough being wet, I couldn’t find it and wound up with double bogey. But I had five pars back-to-back after that, and that gave me a little bit of composure coming into the last two holes – and I birdied 17 after a brilliant approach,” Gill explained.

Heading into tomorrow’s final round, also to be played on a shotgun start due to inclement weather being forecast for the early afternoon, Gill noted that he will just focus on his game.

“It’s a lot to think about dealing with the pressure of the situation and everything, so you’re not able to think too much about anything else. I’ve been playing very well and, with a little bit of fortune tomorrow, fingers crossed,” he said.

Ramos meanwhile was happy that he kept his composure and hit some great iron shots close to the pin. He nailed seven birdies, including two on his last three holes, against two dropped shots, to stay well in contention for a maiden ADT title.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Sean Ramos of the Philippines pictured in action during the third round of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A, at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

“I’m very happy with how I finished. My birdie putt on the 16th hole was a good one, a downhill slider from about 30 feet. So yeah, good momentum heading into tomorrow and just keep hitting fairways and greens. I am a bit nervous, but that’s part of the game,” said the 22-year-old from Manila.

The low round of the day came from Japan’s Naoki Sekito, a flawless six-under-par 66 which was a marked improvement from his first two rounds of 71 and 73. He lies joint fifth on six-under-par with four other golfers, including leading Malaysian Shahriffuddin Ariffin.

“I didn’t expect to shoot six-under today! I finished four holes of my second round this morning and was just happy to make the cut, as I wasn’t playing well. My iron play was good today. This is my third time playing the Palm Course and I think it’s a great golf course, but a difficult test,” said Sekito, a three-time ADT champion and Order of Merit winner in 2019.

From the 14 amateurs who started the championship as tournament invitations, two progressed to the final 36 holes following the halfway cut which came at one-over-par – the Malaysian duo of Aiden Kei and Anson Yeo. As the top two amateurs, they earned fast track passes to the Final Stage of the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School for the 2027 season.

Playing in his second ADT event, Kei added a third round 73 and is tied 11th on four-under-par. The lanky golfer made the cut in his ADT debut at the 2025 PKNS Selangor Masters, finishing joint 19th.

“It’s a great opportunity to get the exemption into the Final Stage of Q-School. The last few days have been quite a challenge with the delays, but I’m happy with how I’ve played so far. My wedges have been working well, and I was hitting it pretty close to the pin,” said Kei, who turns 20 on the 22nd of August.

Currently the highest-ranked male Malaysian amateur at 274th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Yeo shot a third round 72 and is a shot adrift of his countryman. This is the first time he has made the cut in four starts on the ADT.

Staged in partnership with the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, the US$110,000 ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A is the tour’s fourth event of the 2026 season and its second stop in Malaysia.