Mark Power and Liam Nolan share 12th place going into the final round of the HotelPlanner Tour’s Blot Play9 in Brittany but it’s second-generation Irishman John Gough who holds sole possession of the lead.
Power and Nolan each began the week with a three-under 67 that left them in strong position, but rounds of +1 and level-par respectively saw them lose ground as Ronan Mullarney came through to move into the top five with a 65.
Mullarney struggled on moving day, however, and dropped outside of the top 40 with a four-over 74, but Power, courtesy of a strong back nine in which he birdied four of the final eight holes went round in 67 to surge back up the leaderboard, while Nolan also made his move on the back nine, birdieing three-in-a-row from the 10th on his way to a two-under 68.
They are part of a seven-strong group at -5 and tied for 12th, three shots from fourth but seven off the lead.
Gough, a member at Killeen Castle and former Irish Amateur Open winner, carded a four-under-par round of 66 on day three, going bogey-free to reach 12-under in Pléneuf, with home favourite Maxence Giboudot and Spain’s Joseba Torres two strokes back on -10.
Starting the third round in a share of the lead, Gough failed to make a gain on his first eight holes, those behind him making the most of moving day to push ahead. He found his first birdie of the day on the par four ninth before he picked up his second shot at the par-5 11th.
Gough’s other two gains came on the two back-nine par-3s, the 13th and 15th, allowing the Englishman to pull clear at the top of the leaderboard. Finishing the day with three pars, the 27-year-old was pleased with his performance, and going bogey free for the second time this week.
“It’s really nice to get a round in with no bogeys again,” he said. “I missed three greens out there and made three nice saves.
“If I keep playing the way I’m playing, it’s looking good. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, but hopefully I can keep it going.”
Gough is yet to secure his maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory but has enjoyed decent outings at Blot Play9 in the past, including a fourth-placed finish at last year’s edition in Brittany, where he carded a final round of 63 to earn his joint highest finish of the season.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here,” he added. “I felt confident going out and I think, looking forward throughout the season, it’s something I need to do a little bit more to be honest.
“It’s quite outstanding to see as many juniors as there was out there today. It’s really good for them to come out and see golf being played at a professional level, everyone is so supportive here and gave lots of cheers so hopefully that sticks with me tomorrow.”
Gough is happy to be in the lead heading into Sunday, rather than in the chasing pack.
“Being ahead is always good,” he added. “You’ve got to dissociate the leaderboard and continue playing your golf.
“Every week there are 156 players that think it could be their week, so it’s really nice to be in the position to do it. I’m not going to look into it too much, I’ve still got to go and shoot a good round, but it would mean a lot.”
Giboudot birdied two of his final three holes to sign for a seven under par 63, the joint lowest round of the week. Meanwhile, Torres mixed four birdies with an eagle, dropping just one shot in a round of 65.
South African Bryce Easton and Spain’s Pablo Ereño share fourth position on eight under. Dane Frederik Kjettrup and American Charles Huntzinger both sit one shot further back on seven under.
The final round of the Blot Play9 gets under way at 7:15am local time with Gough, Giboudot and Torres teeing off in the final group at 11:40am.
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