Paul Dunne is gunning for more six-hole success after making it through to the match play knockout stages as a seed at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth.
The Greystones star, who won last season’s GolfSixes alongside Gavin Moynihan, will be going head-to-head in rounds of six-hole matchplays once more on Sunday to see who will lift the trophy at Lake Karrinyup Country Club.
Dunne took route 66 to get his round motoring on moving day, shooting into a tie for second after 54-holes of stroke play while receiving a bye into the last-16 of the innovative event.
The 26-year old has undoubted matchplay pedigree having played in the Walker Cup and he is relishing the challenge of going head-to-head again tomorrow.
“I like the idea of the format,” said Dunne. “I played at the GolfSixes.
“It’s intense, which is good. You don’t always get a final few holes feeling on the third hole of the day. I think it will be mentally sharp right from the get-go in the morning and just try and make as many putts as you can.
“At the end of the day it’s six holes, anything can happen over six holes. I’ll just try and play my best and hopefully it’s enough.
“It’s a mindset, really, and then you’ve just got to get the breaks at the right time. If you go down, you don’t really have that much time to get back. So, take it as it comes, try to hit the right shots at the right time, hole a few putts under pressure and go from there.”
Unfortunately day three proved the end of the road for Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey after he posted a two-over par 74 by four shots on two-under par.
In the strokeplay, Dunne was only bettered by Per Langfors who carded a stunning round of 64 to top the leaderboard after 54 holes in Perth, with home favourite Wade Ormsby securing the 24th and final spot as the format switches from stroke play to six hole match play knockout on Sunday.
Swede Langfors came through all three stages of Qualifying School in 2018 and two rounds of 71 saw him make the first cut of his European Tour career at Lake Karrinyup Country Club.
He went seven shots better in round three to get to ten under par and lead the way from Dunne, Australian Brad Kennedy and Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan.
New Zealanders Ryan Fox and Gareth Paddison, Japan’s Yuta Ikeda and Belgian Thomas Pieters were then at eight under, completing the top eight and securing a bye into the second round when the knockout stage gets underway.
England’s Ben Evans, Australians Daniel Gale, Matt Jager and Min Woo Lee, Thai Jazz Janewattananond and Frenchman Clément Sordet got to seven-under par to secure their match play spots.
There were 11 players at six-under par and they played off for the final ten spots, with England’s Tom Murray the odd man out after double-bogeying on his second trip up the 18th.
Ormsby looked to be the man heading home when he found two bunkers and a plugged lie on the first play-off hole but he made an incredible 40-foot putt for bogey to set up a head-to-head with Murray.
Grégory Bourdy, Benjamin Campbell, Steven Jeffress, Robert MacIntyre, Andrew Martin, Adrian Otaegui, Panuphol Pittayarat, Connor Syme and Scott Vincent also advanced from the play-off.
Match play round one draw
Match 1: Daniel Gale v Adrian Otaegui
Match 2: Grégory Bourdy v Min Woo Lee
Match 3: Benjamin Campbell v Clément Sordet
Match 4: Scott Vincent v Wade Ormsby
Match 5: Matt Jager v Andrew Martin
Match 6: Robert MacIntyre v Connor Syme
Match 7: Steven Jeffress v Jazz Janewattananond
Match 8: Panuphol Pittayarat v Ben Evans
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