<p>Grant Forrest. Picture: Getty Images</p>
Shane Lowry produced his best round of the week but still trails by eight shots in the Open de España in Madrid.
The Amgen Irish Open champion made an eagle and four birdies in a four-under 67 to head into the final round tied for 17th at five-under par.
He’s eight shots behind halfway leader Grant Forrest, who shot 67 and England’s Joe Dean, who bounced back from dropping three shots at the 16th and 17th by making a 32-footer for a birdie at the last hole for a 65.
“t gave a little bit of hope after those previous two holes, but nothing's guaranteed in this game,” said Dean, who was three clear of the field before he double-bogeyed the 16th and bogeyed the 17th,
“It only takes you a slight lapse of concentration or just a bad shot at a bad time and before you know it, you're chasing again.”
Dean and Forrest lead by a shot on 13-under from France’s Victor Perez (65), Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen (65) and Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach (67).
But as Eugenio Chacarra shot 70 to find himself five behind, fellow Spaniard Angel Ayora finished with two birdies to shoot 66 and lurk just three shots off the lead.
“I’ll just focus on my preparation, on my shots, and let the results come,” Ayora said. “But yeah, obviously the win is on my mind. It would be amazing to have the first win here in Spain.”
At the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic, Michael Brennan carded a six-under 65 to share the 54-hole lead with Zach Bauchou (67) and Jacob Bridgeman (69) in Japan.
They lead by one stroke on 13-under from Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, Keith Mitchell, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and England’s Jordan Smith at Yokohama Golf Club.
Scott, who is seeking his first PGA Tour win in six year, shot 65.
“You got to be pleased with that and something like that tomorrow might be enough,” Scott said. “It’s not a bad spot to be a few back. Hopefully we’ll be in for a great day.”
At the HotelPlanner Tour’s Hainan Open, Galway’s Liam Nolan fired a seven-under-par 65 to go into the final round just five shots off the lead.
The Barna native (26) is bidding for back-to-back wins on Europe’s second-tier circuit as he closes in on promotion to the DP World Tour next season.
The top 15 in the final Road to Mallorca standings will earn tickets to the main tour and 12th Nolan has a chance on Sunday to move into the top-10 with just the Hangzou Open and the Grand Final remaining.
He made eight birdies at Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club to share fifth place on 14-under-par.
The Netherlands’ Lars Van der Vight, who is 22nd in the Rankings, will take a three-stroke lead into the final round after matching the week’s lowest round with a 10-under-par 62.
Halfway leader Joseba Torres of Spain and Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen share second place on 16 under.
On the Ladies European Tour, Douglas’ Sara Byrne enjoyed another sensational ball-striking day at the Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club.
She missed just one green in regulation en route to a four-under 68, leaving her tied for 13th on seven-under.
Byrne lies 59th in the Order of Merit, and a second top-10 finish of the season would all but secure top-70 status and her card for 2027.
Former AIG Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita also shot 68 to lead by a shot from Chinese Taipei’s Yani Tseng, who shot 66, on 13-under.
Elm Park’s Anna Foster shot 72 to share 45th on two-under.
Article Link: Lowry moves up but trails Forrest and Dean by eight in Madrid - News - Irish Golf Desk