A rollercoaster round for Gary Hurley eventually resulted in a level-par 70 that keeps him inside the top 15 as Christofer Blomstrand and David Lundgren share a two-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Dormy Open by Creekhouse at Kristianstad Golf Club.
Hurley began the day tied for fifth but made five bogeys and two birdies on his way out to turn at +3. Another bogey on 12 dropped him to +4 for the day, but he birdied five of the last six, adding one further bogey, to claw his way back to level and finish the day tied for 15th.
Mark Power is two shots further back at level-par, with Ronan Mullarney one behind him and James Sugrue one behind Mullarney.
Blomstrand started moving day with a two-shot advantage and signed for a two under par 68 to reach eight under par, while Lundgren posted a 66 to join his compatriot in a tie at the top.
With the wind direction switching at the Åhus lay-out, two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner Blomstrand admitted the course presented a very different test compared to the first 36 holes.
“The course played very differently today,” he said.
“The wind was more out of the south compared to the east the past two days. I haven’t played it much with this wind. I had to take different lines today and adjust my distances off the tee to avoid bunkers which haven’t really been in play the first 36 holes.
“My game didn’t feel as good today, especially on the greens, I couldn’t quite get the ball to the hole.”
The Swede settled nicely with a confident birdie putt on the third moving him under par. A bogey on the fourth would follow, however, with several of the earlier starters looking to make up ground.
He recovered on the ninth, though, with a pinpoint long iron setting up a routine eagle, moving the Swede to eight under par as he made the turn. The 34-year-old would pick up his second birdie of the day on 13 before dropping his second shot on the closing par five to fall back into a tie at the top.
Blomstrand sealed his second HotelPlanner Tour victory earlier this month in Scotland and knows a win at Kristianstad would all-but confirm his promotion to the DP World Tour. And with his recent victory fresh in his mind, the Swede believes he’s well-equipped to contend for his third title at the level.
“I’m a very nice position at the moment and it’s always nice to be in this situation, of course,” Blomstrand added.
“It’s why we play golf. I’ve learned a lot from being in these positions and I’m hoping to use that for tomorrow.”
Lundgren started the day at four under and played his first six holes in level par before catching fire around the turn, making four birdies in a row from the seventh to reach eight under.
The 25-year-old would drop his second shot of the day on 13 but recovered with a long putt on the penultimate par four to join Blomstrand at the top of the leaderboard. Lundgren, who won the Samsø Festival Pro-Am on the Nordic Golf League earlier this year, is excited to tee it up in the final group on the HotelPlanner Tour for the first time.
“It’s going to be so much fun, I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it,” Lundgren said.
“It’s great to see so many people coming out here, and hopefully you’ll all come back tomorrow as well.
“My game feels good and I know the course pretty well too, so I think I’ve got a good chance going into tomorrow.”
South African Wilco Nienaber posted a six under 64, the low round of the week, to move into a share of third position with Dutchman Wil Besseling. Dane Jeppe Kristian Andersen shares fifth spot alongside England’s Bradley Bawden on five under.
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