Two double bogeys in his final six holes saw Tom McKibbin’s hopes of securing a second DP World Tour win of 2023 come grinding to a halt at the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters at Real Club Sotogrande.
Having battled his way to an opening two-under in blustery conditions that bordered on unplayable, the Holywood Tour rookie’s second-round 69 saw him tied for 14th at the midpoint and looking primed for a weekend charge.
Despite an impressive round off the tee, missed opportunities at each of the opening three holes and failure to get up and down from just off the green at the par-3 fourth saw him cover the opening four in one-over. Despite having makeable eagle putts on the drivable fifth and long par-5 sixth, he’d have to settle for birdies and reached the turn at -1 for the day.
Four of the six easiest holes on the course come in the opening five on the back nine, but three consecutive pars were followed by a double bogey at the par-3 13th, and though he’d claw one back at the par-5 14th, another double came on 16 and he fell back to -3 for the tournament, out of contention and into an eventual tie for 49th.
Jeff Winther and Matti Schmid each posted seven under par rounds of 65 to take a share of the lead into the final round as the duo broke free of a crowded pack to reach 14-under and go into Sunday two strokes clear of defending champion Adrian Otaegui, who is third on -12.
Denmark’s Winther, whose only DP World Tour win came on Spanish soil at the 2021 Mallorca Golf Open, birdied the second hole before catching fire at the fifth where he reeled off four birdies in a row. Two further gains arrived at the 12th and 14th before he safely navigated his way home to finish bogey-free and set the target.
That target could only be met by Germany’s Schmid, who will tomorrow go in search of his maiden DP World Tour title. Like Winther, the 25-year-old made the turn at five under before also birdieing the par-5 12th and then becoming the first man to reach 15-under with an eagle at the 14th. However, he gave a shot back at the next hole which meant he had to settle for a tie for the 54-hole lead.
Spaniard Otaegui had a strong home support lining the fairways of Real Club de Golf Sotogrande and they were treated to a grandstand finish, with the defending champion finishing birdie-birdie to move right into contention.
Frenchman Jeong weon Ko continued his quest to retain his DP World Tour playing privileges by adding a two under par round of 70 to move into fourth place on -11, with German Nick Bachem, England’s Richard Mansell and Poland’s Adrian Meronk sharing fifth place on ten under par.
“Lovely day, beautiful weather, good greens, what’s not to like?” asked Winther when interviewed post round. “I’ve found something the last couple of weeks, months, that’s working and I’m just sticking to it. I’m not trying to do anything that I’m not comfortable doing. I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve gotten some help and I’m pleased I took that step.”
Meronk, who’d been three-over after his opening nine holes of the tournament, could well be the man to beat, however and the Polish star is delighted to have put himself in the mix going into the final round.
“I’m very pleased,” said the man unlucky not to have been part of this year’s Ryder Cup squad. “I had that number in my head before the round so I’m glad to be ten under going into Sunday. Tomorrow’s going to be a tricky one with the weather, so everything is possible and I’m excited for it.
“I’m a little bit fatigued. Especially after my last tournament, I got sick at the Alfred Dunhill Links and lost six kilos of bodyweight, so I’m still trying to get back into shape but everyday it’s getting better. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit fresher.
“I’m very excited. You want to be in contention on Sunday. I’ll probably be a couple back, the weather will be tricky so it’ll be quite interesting.”
Due to adverse weather conditions forecast for Sunday afternoon, the final round of the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters will be a two-tee start from 8:40am until 10:30am local time.
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