Dubai's Rayhan Thomas teases victory after shooting an impressive 64 on 'Moving Day'

Dubai's Rayhan Thomas surged into contention at the $2 million International Series Thailand with a brilliant six-under-par 64 on ‘Moving Day,’ propelling him to a tied second place at the Thai Country Club event on the Asian Tour.

Leading the field at 17-under-par is LIV Golf's Peter Uihlein (US), an Oklahoma State University teammate of Rayhan. Uihlein's impressive rounds of 64, 62, and 67 have set a high bar as he looks to clinch the title.

Twenty-four-year-old Rayhan, who turned pro earlier this year, opened up with a round of 69 and followed it up with the best round of 63 on Friday over the par 70 course.

He had two nines of 32, the highlight of which was a birdie–eagle finish to make his move. Rayhan is one of five players tied for second, three shots behind the leader.

“It was a good day today,” Rayhan told Khaleej Times: “I bogeyed the first hole when I hit my tee shot in the fairway trap and had a bad lie and duffed it.

“Apart from that I played really well, kept the ball in front of me and hit some good putts. I am in the final group on Sunday with my buddy Peter. I have not played with him in a long time.

“Let’s see if I can keep my good golf going and perhaps give myself a chance to win this thing and collect the trophy after tomorrow’s final round,” Rayhan added. “These International Series events on the Asian Tour are really big events.”

Dubai Golden Visa Awardee Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) shot rounds of 65, 66 and 68 to be 11 under par on 199 and in tied 17th spot.

Peter Uihlein, 35, now competes on LIV Golf after a varied career across multiple tours, including the Challenge Tour, DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour. A former world number one amateur, he clinched the prestigious 2010 U.S. Amateur title and has accumulated five professional victories worldwide: one on the Challenge Tour, two on the Korn Ferry Tour, and one on the DP World Tour.

Earlier this year, Uihlein added another impressive win to his record by capturing the International Series England title on the Asian Tour, where he dominated the field to win by seven strokes. His highest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to date is 48.

The final round on Sunday sees Rayhan paired with Uihlein and Ahmad Baig (Pakistan) in the last group of the day, teeing off from the first tee at 10:16 a.m.

(7,199 Yards, Par 70)

Uihlein (US) 64. 62. 67. 193.

Thomas (Ind) 69. 63. 64. 196.

Baig (Pak) 66. 67. 63. 196.

Lindh (Swe) 63. 68. 65. 196.

Chie-po (Chinese Taipei) 64. 65. 67. 196.

Antcliff (Aus) 63. 64. 69. 196.