Liam Nolan will take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Challenge after a bogey-free, seven-under-par 63 at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.
Nolan, still seeking his first professional victory, started the third round in a share of the lead with Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and Belgium’s Matthis Besard. Seven birdies took him to 16-under-par for the week.
After three opening pars, Nolan picked up his first shot at the driveable par-four fourth and added back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh. He turned at three-under, then birdied the 10th to reach -13. Further gains followed at the 12th and 14th, and a birdie at the difficult 16th took him clear at the top. He closed with pars at the 17th and 18th.
The 26-year-old Galway man entered the week in 43rd place on the Road to Mallorca rankings, so along with a maiden win, he’s got crucial rankings points on the line in the final round in Abu Dhabi. And he’s looking forward to the nerves that come with it.
“I’m sure there will be some nerves that I haven’t felt the first three days but nerves are great,” Nolan said.
“I was pretty nervous when I played the Irish Open but it’s such a cool and fun experience to be nervous and for shots to matter a little bit more.
“It will be the same gameplan and to stick to what I’ve been doing, and we will see where we sit at the end of tomorrow.
“I played pretty well on the back nine which was fun because Tapio was also making birdies, so we were bouncing off each other a little bit,” he said.
“I hit lots of nice solid shots into 15 feet and the putter was working well. There’s some pins I didn’t really want to take on due to the steep run-offs but the putter was the main reason for the birdies.
“I’m just going to keep riding this nice wave of good swing thoughts and the ball going straight.”
A win in the UAE would lift him to 13th. That would put him inside the promotion places and on course for DP World Tour playing rights in 2027 with just two events remaining before the season-ending Rolex Grand Final.
Despite the stakes, Nolan is keeping his attention on his golf.
“I’m not looking at the Rankings at all,” he said. “I’ve found out in amateur golf when you look too far ahead you end up disappointed.
“I want to stay patient, control what I can control and enjoy myself as much as I can and then we’ll look at the Rankings when the season’s done.”
Meanwhile, Gary Hurley shot a three-under 67 to climb into a share of 23rd place at -6, while Mark Power matched the Waterford man’s score in round three and lies one shot further adrift in a tie for 36th.
Nolan’s closest challenger is Pulkkanen, a two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner, who is chasing his second title of the season after winning the Danish Golf Challenge earlier this year, with Italy’s Matteo Cristoni and Switzerland’s Benjamin Rusch sharing third place a further three shots back on -11.
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