Angel Cabrera and Carl Pettersson, both chasing their first European Tour victories, will go into the final round of the Open de Argentina at the Jockey Club in Buenos Aires sharing the lead on nine under par.
Cabrera, who has finished second on four occasions on The European Tour and registered 19 other top ten performances, fired a one under par 69 to move to nine under par 201 and will start the final day buoyed by home support as he chases that elusive maiden title.
Pettersson on the other hand is embarking on his rookie season after graduating from the Qualifying School last year. The 23 year old Swede fired a third round 67, three under par, to share the lead in a European Tour event for the first time.
Poised behind the two leaders lie a host of players ready to mount a challenge including Spain’s Thomas Jesus Munoz, who fired a 67 to move within a stroke of the lead, and Costantino Rocca, Ricardo Gonzalez and Graeme Storm, who all lie within two strokes of the leaders.
Cabrera, who led by two at the start of the third round, started badly with bogeys on the second and sixth to fall back into the pack but regained his composure with three birdies in his last ten holes to move back into a share of the lead.
“Today was a very difficult day,” said the 31 year old from Cordoba. “I had to work hard out there. I needed to stay calm and got it back to under par, which was the important thing. I had to concentrate a lot out there.
“I missed two shots out there and made two bogeys. It was difficult to leave it near the hole as the greens were faster today and the pins in difficult positions.
“Tomorrow I need to see how others are playing to see if it is necessary to attack or play safe to the greens.”
Pettersson turned professional last year after winning the European Amateur Championship and so far his best finish on The European Tour is seventh in the Carlsberg Malaysian Open. Although he struggled off the tee Pettersson stayed in the hunt for the title thanks to some outstanding recoveries. The fourth hole proved the turning point when he found the fairway bunker with his tee shot. Struggling to get the ball over the lip he hit his next into the next bunker some 50 yards from the hole but from there holed the shot for a birdie three. A birdie on the following hole settled him down.
“I got off to a good start with three pars but found the bunker on the fourth. Holing out from 50 yards was a bonus and then I birdied the next as well.
“I’m very excited about this tournament and tomorrow. I don’t think there is any extra pressure because this is my first year. I will just go out and enjoy myself and see what happens. You have to be aggressive to win.
“Today I learned that I could hang in there and I feel confident about tomorrow.”
Munoz, sidelined for six months in 1999 with an injury to the tendons in his left hand, has never finished higher than joint 22nd on The European Tour. But a 35 foot putt on the 16th for birdie briefly took him into the lead and although he dropped a shot on the 17th, the 29 year old remains well in the hunt for the title.
“I prefer to come from behind than to be leading,” he said. “I’m in a very good position to finish this tournament. If I can shoot a couple under I might have a chance.”
Ryder Cup player Rocca, who last won in two years ago, charged up the leaderboard with an outward half of 29, five under par. But the Italian failed to capitalise on a number of chances coming home and had to settle for a round of 65 and seven under par total of 203. He was joined on seven under par by 1999 Amateur Champion Graeme Storm, from England, and Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez who both fired 69’s.
Local favourite Eduardo Romero remained in contention at five under as he attempted to go one better than last year when he lost in a play-off to fellow Argentinian Vicente Fernandez.
Fernandez completed a brilliant third round 65 but at four under par looks too far back to mount a successful defence of his title.
