Grégory Bourdy continued his overwhelming performance at the Estoril Open de Portugal to extend his lead to four shots going into the final round at Oitavos Dunes.
The Frenchman, who has led the tournament since establishing a new course record over the stunning 6894 yard par 71 layout on the Estoril coast, fired a third round 68 to move to 17 under par 196 with 18 holes to play.
Bourdy’s course record 63 has been matched by no less than four players since Thursday afternoon (including Miles Tunnicliff’s third round effort), but no-one has been able to match the frontrunner’s overall pace in the race to win Portugal’s National Open Championship.
Only time will tell if anyone from the chasing pack can emerge to mount an effective challenge to the Frenchman, but among the favourites to do so will be Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, who moved into second place, four behind Bourdy with a third round 66 for a 13 under total of 200.
Not only is Forsyth is very much a man in form, but he is also rapidly developing a penchant for all things Portuguese having won the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal two weeks ago.
“I played well in Madeira and did okay last week as well and fortunately I have been able to carry that form into this week,” said Forsyth. “Right from the start I had a good round on Thursday, kept it going yesterday and then again today.
“I lipped out about four times today but I’m not going to complain too much with five under today. It’s all to play for tomorrow.”
Tunnicliff’s 63 means that he joins South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel in a tie for third place on 12 under, while fifth placed Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, David Howell, Søren Kjeldsen, Rory McIlroy and Lee Slattery – all of whom moved to 11 under – will also consider themselves in with a chance of upsetting Bourdy’s momentum with a penetrating run of birdies on Sunday afternoon.
If the leader can maintain his wonderful form from the first three days, however, he will be impossible to catch.
Bourdy, by his own admission, began the third round with perhaps one too many butterflies than he would have liked in his stomach, but after a bogey on the fourth hole – his first dropped shot of the week – the 25 year old roared back with an eagle three on the seventh and a birdie on the eighth to reassume total control of his elegant golf swing.
“I made my first bogey of the week on the fourth so the first few holes were difficult and I didn’t play my game,” Bourdy concurred.
“But after that I was a bit more relaxed and I made the eagle on the seventh and the birdie on the eight and after that I was able to my game – the game that I was playing on Thursday and Friday.
I was sharing the lead going into the final round in Mallorca. I wasn’t leading by myself there so tomorrow will be a new experience. I can’t won the South African PGA Championship with a five shot lead going into the final round so this is quite similar. I won by five there so I managed to keep all my shots!”
