Last day fireworks on the cards at Coolum

Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy has predicted some scoring fireworks from a quality leaderboard in the final round of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

Defending champions Ogilvy is one of those players expected to be in contention, but there are others in contention such as overnight leader and three-time winner Robert Allenby who grabbed the outright lead at nine-under with two closing birdies.

Former Australian Open winner Greg Chalmers, who carded a third-round 67, is another.

He finally found some touch with the putter to be one behind Allenby in a share of second with 32-year-old West Australian Scott Strange, who birdied the last for three under 68.

Last week’s Australian Open champion Adam Scott squeezed a birdie from the 18th green to finish on seven-under along with exciting Victorian Michael Sim who produced an amazing 65 to charge up the leaderboard.

“As silly as it sounds I generally try to go out and have the lowest score I can, every time I play golf,” said Ogilvy, yet to successfully defended a title.

“I’m in as good a position starting tomorrow as I was last year.

“There’s the top six or seven guys (on the leaderboard) and every one of them is capable of shooting six, seven or eight under tomorrow.

“One of them is probably going to so it’s going to take a good round from any us.”

Sim claimed the round of the tournament, including Korean Min-Kyu Han’s stunning first round 62.

He was one-over after six holes and hitting his head against the wall until he rattled off six birdies in seven holes and played his final nine in 20 shots.

“I got off to a slow start with bogeys at the third and fourth and it looked like one of those days where not much was going to happen,” said Sim, who recorded eight successive birdies in an event in the US earlier this year.

“It was an unbelievable round, I have never really had a round of golf like that before in my life, being two over par early and shooting six under, it just happened so fast and it just kept flowing.”

Sim, who has struggled to score on the resort’s six new opening holes said he would have to be “careful” playing them tomorrow.

“That’s probably where the golf tournament could be one or lost on those new holes,” he said.

He wouldn’t go so far as to say he could win with so many proven performers so close.

But after three wins on the Nationwide Tour this year, and playing with Tiger Woods in the US Open, he believes he has the game to compete.

“I have to hit it a little better off the tee, I got away with a few drives out of the heel but if I can fix that, I will give myself a really good chance.”

© 2010 AAP