Hong Kong Open 2012: Day 3 Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More

The Asian and European professional golf tours have collided once again for the 53rd annual Hong Kong Open tournament. 

Near the end of the golf year, both circuits meet in New Territories, Hong Kong at the historic Hong Kong Golf Club where players compete for the $2 million first-place prize. 

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy won the 2011 tournament after shooting 12 under par, but he failed to make the cut this year and won't have a chance to defend his Hong Kong Open title, so the leaderboard had a far different look this time around. 

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Michael Campbell are neck and neck with an overall score of 200 heading into the weekend, making the final round of the tournament unpredictable for golf fans. 

Read on for a look at the scoreboard heading into Round 4, as well as analysis and predictions. 

Scoreboard Leading into Round 4

POS	FLT	NAME	NAT					SCORE	HOLE/(AGG)
1	36	Miguel Angel JIMENEZ	ESP	65	67	68		-10	(200)
1	37	Michael CAMPBELL	NZL	67	64	69		-10	(200)
3	31	Matteo MANASSERO	ITA	67	70	64		-9	(201)
3	37	ZHANG Lian-wei	CHN	66	66	69		-9	(201)
5	36	Fredrik ANDERSSON HED	SWE	66	66	70		-8	(202)
6	33	Peter LAWRIE	IRL	68	68	67		-7	(203)
6	35	Anders HANSEN	DEN	69	64	70		-7	(203)
8	16	Raphael JACQUELIN	FRA	72	68	64		-6	(204)
8	22	Pablo LARRAZABAL	ESP	69	70	65		-6	(204)
8	27	Matt KUCHAR	USA	69	69	66		-6	(204)
8	32	Stephen GALLACHER	SCO	68	68	68		-6	(204)
8	34	Marcus FRASER	AUS	67	69	68		-6	(204)
13	24	Thongchai JAIDEE	THA	72	66	67		-5	(205)
13	25	Jyoti RANDHAWA	IND	68	70	67		-5	(205)
13	27	Lorenzo GAGLI	ITA	66	72	67		-5	(205)
13	28	Paul LAWRIE	SCO	69	69	67		-5	(205)
13	30	Mark FOSTER	ENG	69	68	68		-5	(205)
18	26	Andrew DODT	AUS	65	73	68		-4	(206)
18	28	Kwanchai TANNIN	THA	68	69	69		-4	(206)
18	30	Jose Maria OLAZABAL	ESP	66	71	69		-4	(206)
21	25	Thaworn WIRATCHANT	THA	70	68	69		-3	(207)
21	29	Mardan MAMAT	SIN	67	70	70		-3	(207)
21	29	James MORRISON	ENG	70	67	70		-3	(207)
21	34	Daisuke KATAOKA	JPN	68	67	72		-3	(207)
21	35	Javi COLOMO	ESP	64	71	72		-3	(207)
26	8	Kristoffer BROBERG	SWE	71	70	67		-2	(208)
26	11	Paul CASEY	ENG	70	71	67		-2	(208)
26	12	Prom MEESAWAT	THA	70	71	67		-2	(208)
26	13	LIANG Wenchong	CHN	71	70	67		-2	(208)
26	16	LIN Wen-tang	TPE	72	68	68		-2	(208)
26	17	MO Joong-kyung	KOR	69	71	68		-2	(208)
26	22	KIM Gi-whan	KOR	70	69	69		-2	(208)
26	31	David HORSEY	ENG	67	70	71		-2	(208)
34	2	Alejandro CANIZARES	ESP	74	68	67		-1	(209)
34	10	Brett RUMFORD	AUS	73	68	68		-1	(209)
34	12	Berry HENSON	USA	71	70	68		-1	(209)
34	18	Andrew MARSHALL	ENG	71	69	69		-1	(209)
34	19	Joonas GRANBERG	FIN	70	70	69		-1	(209)
34	19	Julien QUESNE	FRA	68	72	69		-1	(209)
34	21	Gary BOYD	ENG	68	71	70		-1	(209)
34	23	CHAN Yih-shin	TPE	69	69	71		-1	(209)
34	32	Arnond VONGVANIJ	THA	71	65	73		-1	(209)
34	33	Ricardo SANTOS	POR	71	65	73		-1	(209)
44	4	Chris WOOD	ENG	72	70	68		E	(210)
44	5	Kiradech APHIBARNRAT	THA	70	72	68		E	(210)
44	8	Wade ORMSBY	AUS	75	66	69		E	(210)
44	10	Lee SLATTERY	ENG	69	72	69		E	(210)
44	14	Jean-Baptiste GONNET	FRA	72	69	69		E	(210)
44	15	Gregory BOURDY	FRA	67	73	70		E	(210)
44	20	Simon KHAN	ENG	67	73	70		E	(210)
44	24	Simon DYSON	ENG	68	70	72		E	(210)
52	1	Rhys DAVIES	WAL	71	71	69		1	(211)
52	6	Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL	THA	71	71	69		1	(211)
52	9	Peter HEDBLOM	SWE	75	66	70		1	(211)
52	15	Alex CEJKA	GER	72	69	70		1	(211)
52	17	Zaw MOE	MYN	72	68	71		1	(211)
52	20	Jordan GIBB	ENG	72	67	72		1	(211)
52	21	Joel SJOHOLM	SWE	67	72	72		1	(211)
52	23	Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL	THA	70	69	72		1	(211)
60	4	Scott STRANGE	AUS	73	69	70		2	(212)
60	7	Antonio LASCUNA	PHI	71	71	70		2	(212)
60	14	Johan EDFORS	SWE	70	71	71		2	(212)
60	18	Juvic PAGUNSAN	PHI	72	68	72		2	(212)
64	2	Gregory HAVRET	FRA	74	68	71		3	(213)
64	5	Richard BLAND	ENG	70	72	71		3	(213)
64	9	Adam BLYTH	AUS	71	70	72		3	(213)
64	11	Adilson DA SILVA	BRA	69	72	72		3	(213)
64	26	David HOWELL	ENG	68	70	75		3	(213)
69	3	Kalle SAMOOJA	FIN	69	73	72		4	(214)
70	3	Steve WEBSTER	ENG	71	71	73		5	(215)
70	13	Soren KJELDSEN	DEN	72	69	74		5	(215)
72	7	Timothy TANG	HKG	74	67	75		6	(216)
73	6	Scott HEND	AUS	68	74	78		10	(220)

Highlights

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez has been at the top of his game, shooting under par in each of the first three rounds of the tournament. 

In the opening round of the tournament, Jimenez shot five under with a score of 65, which remains his best round of the tournament. 

He wrapped up the third round with a score of 68, and a first-place finish is certainly achievable as long as he can remain consistent and shoot under par for the fourth consecutive time. 

But while the Spaniard has impressed this tournament, New Zealand's Michael Campbell has managed to keep up step for step, as both players are tied at 200. 

Campbell shot a 64 in the second round, making him just one of four people to achieve that score in this year's tournament. 

Campbell can pull ahead if he finds the same groove he did during the tournament's second round. 

Italy's Matteo Manassero was unable to get under par with a score of 70 in the second round, but he was able to shoot a 64 in the third round, tying for the best score of the round. 

As a result, Manassero sits in third place at 201—just one stroke behind the leaders—and is very much in the running to win the tournament. 

Predictions

The top 10 leaders on the board are all within five strokes of each other, making this a very tight tournament heading into the final round and certainly difficult to predict.

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Michael Campbell have been extremely consistent and have remained under par every round. 

We frequently see golfers enter the final round of a tournament and blow a lead. This tournament will be decided by which of the two leaders keeps focus, and which one cracks under the pressure. 

But don't count out third-place hopeful Matteo Manassero, who is coming off a Nov. 11 victory at Barclays Singapore Open last week.

"

Could it be back to back victories for the incredibly talented young Italian, @manasseromatteo? europeantour.com/europeantour/s… #HongKongOpen

— The European Tour (@European_Tour) November 17, 2012"

Manassero's recent tournament victory is a sign that he's focused and at the top of his game. A solid finish will send Campbell and Jimenez home with disappointment.

Also, Zhang Lian-Wei, who is currently tied with Manassero at 201, is the top player on the leaderboard from the Asian circuit and could steal the victory away from the Europeans with yet another under-par round this weekend.  

With a top-heavy leaderboard entering the weekend, it will be interesting to see how this tournament plays out.