PADRAIG HARRINGTON CARDED a one-under 71 at the end of a mixed third round at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia. 

The Ryder Cup captain, who is competing in his first tournament since suffering a broken wrist in December, hit an impressive six birdies in all on Saturday. 

But his progress was halted by five bogeys, with four of those coming on the front-nine.

He’s on two-under overall and sits 11 shots off the leader Nacho Elvira of Spain, who holds a two-stroke lead in a bid to win his first European Tour win.

The Spaniard fired a six-under 66 at the Saujana Golf and Country Club to improve to 13-under on Saturday.

Elvira, who has four wins on the Challenge Tour, is two shots clear of American David Lipsky (67) in Kuala Lumpur after mixing seven birdies with a bogey.

Lipsky, the 2017 runner-up, sits at 11-under, a shot ahead of Australian Scott Hend (67), Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (68) and German Maximilian Kieffer (68).

Overnight leader Thomas Pieters endured a miserable round to fall out of contention, firing a six-over 78.

The Belgian fell back to two-under and a tie for 42nd after a tough day that included three double bogeys on the back nine.

Ernie Els (69) and Benjamin Hebert (65) sit in a tie for sixth at nine-under.

Additional reporting by Sinéad Farrell

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