It was a slow moving day for the three Irish that made the cut in the Frederikshavn Challenge in Denmark as Robin Dawson and James Sugrue both signed for level par 72’s that dropped them back to a tie for 42nd, while Rowan Lester carded a 73 to sit further back in 51st.
Of the three it will be Dawson that will be most disappointed as he undid all of his good early work, dropping three shots in his last four holes.
At the head of affairs, Freddy Schott will take a comprehensive four-stroke lead into the final round after posting a six under par round of 66 on day three.
The 21-year-old entered day three with a two-shot cushion and, despite a charge from playing partner Vitor Lopes, of Portugal, the German doubled his advantage by reaching 18 under par and is in full control ahead of the final round at Frederikshavn Golfklub.
Lopes remains his nearest challenger on 14 under par following a run of six birdies in eight holes around the turn and Schott admits he relished the battle with the Portuguese on day three.
“Vitor is a great guy,” he said. “We had some fun there, laughing a lot and overall it was just a good fight. I love to fight and I think Vitor is that kind of person as well, so we’re good together. You see these guys making birdies, you want to pump yours in as well, and I think that gives you an extra motivation.
“I started well quite early. I had a good chip-in on the second, another two birdies on the front nine and felt like my game was in good shape. I tried to stay very calm and play my game, so it went well. It was a great finish on 18 with birdie again, so I’m very happy with that.”
The course record was matched twice more on day three, with England’s Sam Hutsby and Norwegian Jarand Ekeland Arnoy posting seven under par rounds of 65, however the wind picked up which, according to Schott, focussed the mind further in order to avoid mistakes.
“It was windier than the previous two days but I think that’s what this course is made for,” he said. “You have so many trees around, you expect the wind to swirl a little and you have to be focussed to get it right. It was another good sign for us, with that round, and we did some good work today.
“If the wind starts to swirl, you wonder if it’s going to jump out of the rough or the wind is going to catch it. You have to plan your shots more and hope it comes out as planned. Sometimes you have these situations where it doesn’t work and you have to get it up and down to get your par.”
Schott and Lopes will be joined in the final group on Sunday by Danish amateur Frederik Kjettrup, who is third on 12 under par. Germany’s Nick Bachem is a shot further back in fourth, while Spain’s Manuel Elvira and Swede Martin Eriksson share fifth on ten under par.
The final round will begin at 8:00am local time, with the final group getting under way at 9:50am.
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