He carded four birdies and a bogey across the opening five holes before going even par across the next six.
Then came the piece de resistance: a third eagle in as many rounds, this time the 308m 12th, as part of the Coronet layout.
Debate remains as to whether such a feat has occurred on solely par-4s in the game’s professional history.
The ball bounced twice on the green from a 65m wedge before yo-yo-ing back a couple of feet into the cup.
Koh shook his head momentarily in disbelief but, to paraphrase Napoleon Bonaparte, he was “making circumstances” and carving a moat between himself and the field.
Ryan Peake, a man with an extraordinary back story, did his best to keep the drawbridge open.
The former Rebels bikie gang member executed a seven-under par 64 to sit at 18-under.
He was lucky to compete.
Peake was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in 2014 as a 21 year old for serious assault, before finding redemption through golf.
The criminal record landed him in the rough pre-tournament. The left-hander had to overcome visa issues in which he can only travel overseas by obtaining a dispensation. As a consequence, Peake arrived 36 hours prior to the start and played both courses on Wednesday to get his bearings.
He described his round as “steady”.
“I need to go to the range to work on my driver. There wasn’t the flight or distance I wanted, and I wasn’t finding a lot of the fairways [he landed on three from 14 in total].
“When you find the long rough it’s hard to get close and give yourself reasonable birdie opportunities.”
Having said that, Peake has gone 39 holes without a bogey.
Sam Jones is the best of the New Zealanders at 15-under. He carded a 10-under par 61, equalling the best round of the tournament, after scrambling inside the cut.
He welcomed the relative anonymity of teeing off before most spectators arrived.
“It was nice to go out early and not have to deal with too much of that. I imagine tomorrow will be fairly full on, which I’ve got to prepare myself for.
“The first couple of days were a bit rough. I struggled on the greens and hadn’t been swinging great.”
His highlight came with an eagle on the par-5 17th.
“I had a good drive of about 285 metres, landing on the downslope, then a 7-iron to get on the green and a straight putt to roll in up the hill.”
Jones held a European Tour card last year before missing out by a shot at qualification school in Spain for this year.
“Hopefully I fly under the radar [in the final round] which is what I’ve done overseas, because nobody knows who I am.”
Mark Brown and Daniel Hillier are the next best New Zealanders on 12-under.
Brown, the 2014 runner-up in the maiden year of the pro-am format, has suggested the last round could deliver more finality than usual.
He turned 50 last month but remains undecided about whether to take up a one-year exemption to play on the European seniors tour.
