Anirban Lahiri, John Catlin, Thomas Pieters and Caleb Surratt are locked in a four-way tie for the lead heading into the final round of the Link Hong Kong Open 2026, while HK golfer Matthew Cheung remains within striking distance, two shots behind.
Lahiri carded a six-under-par 66 in the third round to join the three other players at 14-under-par, setting up a tight finish to the 65th edition of HK's longest-running professional sporting event.
"Looks like it's going to be a shootout tomorrow," said Lahiri, an 18-time professional tour winner. "I've just got to focus on what I need to do. I think I have a pretty good idea on what to expect from the golf course, I have a good idea of where my game is at."
American Catlin also moved into the lead after carding six birdies and one bogey in the third round. He said improvements in his putting had helped his performance, but acknowledged that the crowded leaderboard would make the final round challenging.
"There are 18 more holes to go, a lot of great golfers, I will need to make a lot of birdies out there," Catlin said.
Cheung, who held the overnight lead, carded a two-over-par 72 to finish the third round at 12-under-par, two shots off the pace. The 31-year-old remains in contention to become the first Hong Kong golfer to win the Asian Tour's flagship event.
"If you had asked me at the start of the week I would be two shots off the lead going into the last round, I would be ecstatic," Cheung said. "I didn't have the best day out there but I grinded it out, got a good birdie on the 17th to keep myself in it."
Cheung said playing alongside some of the world's top golfers had brought both pressure and motivation, adding that he would focus on practice and preparation ahead of Sunday's final round.
Elsewhere, HK golfer Jason Hak Shunyat carded a four-under-par 66 to climb to joint 23rd. Recent Fanling classic champion Issac Lam and two-time professional tour winner Taichi Kho were tied for 51st at four-under-par 206 after three rounds.
The Link Hong Kong Open is one of the Asian Tour's flagship events and has been staged for more than six decades. The 2026 champion will earn an invitation to compete at the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club and a starting place in the Open Qualifying Series for the 2027 Open Championship at St Andrews.
The final round takes place on Sunday (Oct. 25), with the four co-leaders facing a competitive challenge and Cheung seeking to make history on home soil.
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