Tom McKibbin goes into the final round of the Open de España in sole possession of fifth place after a four-under 67 on moving day at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The Holywood man backed up Friday’s 65 with another impressive effort, birdieing six holes but carding two bogeys as well and he trails leader Marco Penge by six but is only two shots off second place.
“It was a pretty steady round,” the 22-year-old said. “Not too many mistakes, and I felt like I played quite nicely.
“The course is very tricky, firm greens and tight fairways so I’m very happy with today. It’s great. The fans are amazing, very passionate people, and just being here in Madrid is cool. It’s a great city with good golf, good food, good everything. So yeah, I’m really, really enjoying my time here.
“Yeah, it was great. They were supporting everybody really hard, and it was cool to see them cheering and creating such a good atmosphere. You kind of feed off that energy a little bit, and yeah, it was really nice.”
McKibbin came into the week ranked 57th in the Race to Dubai after playing most of his golf on the LIV Golf Tour in 2025, but he’s on the brink of playing his way into the season-ending DP World Tour playoffs in the Middle East and still has an outside chance of wrapping up a Masters and Open Championship berth which would accompany a win.
“I’ve just got to try and finish as high as possible,” he said. “I’m still a long way back at the minute, but you never know. I think these events and this tour definitely deserve those spots. There are so many amazing players here who deserve to be in those tournaments, and it’s a great step towards that.”
Penge will take a four-stroke lead into the final round after a fabulous seven-under-par 64 on day three.
The Englishman reached 16-under-par after an incredible run of eight birdies in ten holes to lead by four over Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach at
The 27-year-old started the day one ahead at the top of the leaderboard but experienced a rollercoaster start to his round, snapping his club playing a shot around a tree on the second hole before bogeying the third during a run of holes where at one point he trailed Girrbach by three.
Penge rejoined him at the top with four straight gains around the turn, and moved ahead on his own after another magical escape from the trees on the 13th. He hit his second shot into the rough just right of the green and brilliantly chipped in for birdie – with his lead immediately extended to two when Girrbach’s par putt stayed up.
The 2023 Road to Mallorca winner holed a 17-foot putt at the next and then got out of the trees yet again at the next to remarkably shave the hole with an eagle putt, instead settling for a seventh birdie in eight holes.
The two-time DP World Tour winner stretched his lead to five at the 16th before parring his final two, with Girrbach’s closing birdie reducing the deficit to four with 18 holes to play.
“I took my driver back to the same loft I’d had it at all year, and today I felt like I had my speed and distance back,” said Penge. “I just felt really confident. After about ten holes, I was just trying to go as low as I could.
“Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be a great experience and great memories for me. I just love playing golf, love competing, and love playing in front of big crowds like we have here. I love to challenge myself, whether it goes well or not. Tomorrow’s just another day for me. I’m going to have fun with my caddie again. Tomorrow doesn’t define anything, it’s just another 18 holes of golf. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not the end of the world, I’ve still got my family at home and all that stuff, so I’m lucky. The result is the result.”
Girrbach’s third round 67 sees him sit second on his own, with American Patrick Reed and England’s Dan Brown sharing third on 11 under. Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin is fifth on ten under.
England’s John Parry had a day to remember thanks to his eight iron at the 17th hole bounding forward and rolling right into the cup to earn him not just a prized golfing memory but also a brand new BMW iX3 worth approximately 90,000 euros. Countryman Dan Bradbury also recorded an ace on day three, at the ninth hole.
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