Ruaidhri McGee, Alex Maguire and Mark Power are all within reach of a top-10 finish at the Blot Open de Bretagne at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André in northwestern France.
His second three-under 67 of the week sees Derry man McGee at the head of the Irish sextet who made the cut, after an early bogey was rectified by four birdies on the way home to climb to 14th, two shots off a tie for seventh.
Rookie pro Maguire is one further back on -5 after a 67 of his own on a day where he made five birdies, and fellow 2023 Walker Cup teammate Power, who was first out, went one better with a 66 that included three birdies in the final four holes and occupies 23rd place at -4.
Jonathan Caldwell is next at -3, with Ronan Mullarney and Dermot McElroy locked at two-under in a tie for 36th.
John Parry will take a three-shot lead into the final round after he posted a bogey-free seven under par round of 63.
The Englishman entered the third round four-shots off the lead but carded seven birdies to move to the top of the leaderboard on 16 under par, three clear of Sweden’s Per Längfors in second.
Parry was pleased with his overall performance on moving day and highlighted his patient approach as being paramount to keeping the scorecard clean.
“I’m really happy with my game today,” he said. “I played really well over the first two days but today I managed to cut out all of the little mistakes and I’m very happy.
“You have to be strategic around this golf course and make your birdies on the right holes. I try and take advantage of five, six and seven and then holes ten and 11 on the back nine.
“There’s some tricky holes out there but if you can place the ball well off the tee and wait for the birdie opportunities then you are able to score well.”
The 37-year-old has been in terrific form on the 2024 Road to Mallorca, securing his second Challenge Tour victory at the Delhi Challenge earlier this season and currently occupies second positions on the Rankings as he looks to regain his DP World Tour card.
“I’ve been much more consistent this year and I’ve tried to work on the right things and focus on the same swing thought each week,” he said. “Last week I missed the cut, but I knew what I was working on was correct, so it’s important not to make too many changes and build some consistency.
“I feel calmer and more comfortable over the tough shots out there and I’m really enjoying my golf at the moment. I’ve set myself a points goal to get to which will ensure that I don’t just limp over the line. I’m in a strong position and hopefully I can get my DP World Tour card back for next season.”
Englishman Jamie Rutherford posted a five under par round of 65 to move into third position alongside Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan on 11 under par, while German Michael Hirmer is a shot further back in fifth.
Spaniard Lucas Vacarisas sits in sixth position on nine under par, while five players share seventh place including Scotland’s Euan Walker and Englishman Alfie Plant on eight under.
The final round will get under way at 7:00am local time, with Parry teeing it up in the final group alongside Längfors and Rutherford at 11:30am.
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