Pablo Larrazábal retained his two shot lead over the opening holes of the KLM Open third round in Zandvoort.
The Spaniard’s brilliant course record 62 on Friday had taken him to ten under par at Kennemer Golf & Country Club, and eh remained on that mark with five straight pars to kick off round three.
The chasing group on eight under had swelled to four, with France’s Romain Wattel joined by England’s Paul Casey, Italy’s Andrea Pavan and American Brooks Koepka.
Casey had charged through the field with six unanswered birdies over his first 12 holes, while Pavan holed from five feet at the seventh for a fourth gain of the day.
Koepka was three under through six, while like his playing partner in the final group, Wattel had chalked off five straight pars.
Last year’s Challenge Tour Number One Pavan then closed to within one of the leader when the 25 year old rattled in a 30 foot birdie effort at the ninth, with Casey joining him with a birdie at the fourth.
Larrazábal made his first birdie of the day at the long seventh, but found trouble at the short next – his ball becoming tangled in thick rough - and eventually running up a quadruple bogey seven.
That dropped the former Rookie of the Year to seven under, and allowed Wattel to take over at the top on 11 under courtesy of a hat-trick of birdies that culminated in a 30 foot putt at the eighth.
Seeking a first European Tour title having recorded 15 top-ten finishes, the Frenchman found himself one ahead of Casey, who at eight under for the day with three to play had a chance of bettering Larrazábal’s course record.
