Ronan Mullarney moved into contention after a rollercoaster front nine, leading to a three-under-par 68 to sit three shots off the lead heading into the final round at the Aravell Golf Andorra Open.
Mullarney made three birdies in a row before double-bogeying the par 3 6th, before bouncing back to birdie both of the par 5s on the back nine in the searing Alps Tour heat.
Robert Moran built on a solid opening round, adding a two-under-par 69 to his opening 67 to join Mullarney on sic-under-par.
Michael Young akso recovered from an early double bogey on the par-four fifth to card a four-under-par back nine of 32 to move into the top 30, four shots off the top-10.
The 2025 winner will take home €6,200 and earn 6,525 points toward the Order of Merit standings.
Jerry Ji of the Netherlands and Italy’s Giovanni Manzoni share the lead at 9-under-par through 36 holes following two impressive rounds of consistent play. Close behind, Spain’s Javier Sainz and Alejandro Aguilera sit just one stroke back at 8-under-par, keeping the pressure firmly on the leaders heading into Saturday’s decisive round. Today players competed under sunny skies and a very warm temperature.
This year marks the 4th edition of the tournament, originally created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aravell Golf Andorra & Country Club, the host venue designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazábal.
His round included five birdies and just a single bogey, underlining a day of solid course management in breezy conditions. “I played solid all around today,” Ji said. “It was hot and windy, so I managed my game well, and I’m happy about that.”
One of the highlights of his round came early when he hit a 3-iron from 215 meters on the par-4 fourth hole within 10 feet. “That was definitely the shot of the day,” he added. Unlike some of his fellow competitors, Ji wasn’t fazed by the heat. “For me, the heat didn’t play a part today. I just tried to drink enough water, but honestly, the weather was perfect.” Heading into the final round with a share of the lead, Ji remains focused on keeping things simple.
“I’ll just focus on my own game tomorrow and play the best I can and hopefully it’ll be good enough at the end of the day.”
Italy’s Giovanni Manzoni, 25, moved into a share of the lead after round two.
Although still searching for his first win on the Alps Tour, Manzoni has recorded multiple top-5 finishes and continues to show strong form. After opening with a 3-under-par 68, he produced a flawless, bogey-free 6-under-par 65 in round two, featuring two birdies on the front nine and four on the back.
“Today was a good day, I managed to play consistently on the front nine, where I made two birdies and seven pars,” said Manzoni. “On the back nine, I started to struggle a bit more, but I managed to save some great pars that gave me the momentum to finish with three birdies.”
While many players noted the challenging weather conditions, Manzoni found a way to adapt. “It was very hot and humid today, but playing in shorts really helped,” he added. Looking ahead to the final round, Manzoni remains grounded and focused.
“Of course, winning my first tournament would be great, but that shouldn’t affect me too much, I’ll try to do my best and take whatever comes. Tomorrow, the goals remain the same as the past two days: focus on one shot at a time and try to play consistently.”
Marc Boucher and Hugh Foley both missed the cut on one-over par and four-over-par respectively.
A total of 46 players made the cut which was set at 141 (-1). The Final Round will begin at 8:00 a.m. local time from the 1st and 10th hole. The Final Pairing will tee off at 9:17 a.m. local time from the 1st hole. Moran gets underway from the first at 7.44am Irish time with Mullarney getting his chase underway. underway at 8.06 Irish time.
Michael Young gets his quest for a top 10 underway at 7.22 off the tenth tee.
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