Yurav Premlall took a stranglehold on the 2026 Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship as a stunning third-round 63 earned him a five-shot lead – and potentially a significant extra bonus.
The South African’s ten birdies, with just a solitary bogey, took him clear of the field on 19 under par and left him in position to scoop the $50,000 prize on offer for the Course Record presented by Nexo.
Playing partner and 36-hole co-leader Stefano Mazzoli was his nearest challenger at 14 under as the day belonged to Premlall.
The World Number 598, seeking his first DP World Tour win, said: “It’s a bit of a blur to be honest – I mean, that’s generally what people say when a round like that comes around once in a while.”
“It was really nice, the last few days have been really solid golf tee to green as well, maybe not so good off the tee, but the putter has got hot over the last two days which I have been waiting for. My team, my dad have all put in a big effort to get me into this place, so it is just really rewarding to see it come through.
“My coach gave me a drill to do that we have stuck to and you know, it’s all with feel for the putter, so I am glad that work has come through over the last few days.”
Premlall had responded to his bogey-double bogey finish on Thursday with eight birdies in an unblemished 64 on Friday and he picked up where he left off, with gains at the first two holes as well as the fifth and seventh.
He bogeyed the next but responded with birdies either side of the turn to reach 15 under, four clear of the field.
Lucas Bjerregaard chipped in from the fringe of the 11th green to pull one back, and Mazzoli holed from a bunker at the 13th to replace Bjerregaard in second as the Dane dropped a shot.
Bjerregaard regained his status with a birdie at the next but when it was matched by Premlall, the South African was four clear.
Premlall made a fine up-and-down from a bunker at the 15th and then birdied the next two, holing from 13 feet at the 16th and 45 at the 17th as a pacy effort slammed into the flag and dropped.
That nudged him ahead of Oliver Lindell in the race for the course record bonus, available for the first time this week with preferred lies no longer in operation.
He was pulling ever further clear of the field, with the exception of Mazzoli who produced much-needed birdies at the 15th and 17th to stay within four.
The Italian finished 14 under after a round of 69 but Premlall turned the screw still further with a closing birdie for a 63 and a five-shot lead.
Asked if the course record had been on his mind, though, he insisted: “Not at all.
“It didn’t occur to me, not even when the putt on 17 went in – I didn’t know what the course record was for starters.
“I mean, there is a bigger job on hand at the end of the day but that just happens to be a nice bonus that I can hopefully keep, so we will see.”
Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdied the 18th for the third straight day as he followed Friday’s 66 with a 67. The Thai, who was joined at ten under by Ricardo Gouveia and Shaun Norris, has not dropped a shot in his last 38 holes.
Lindell made the most of Moving Day with a seven-under-par 65 to reach nine under for the week. The Finn opened with two birdies and had five in a row from the eighth and though he dropped his only shot of the day at the short 13th, he birdied the 16th where he had made bogey on each of the first two days.
He was level with Dan Bradbury, Alejandro Del Rey, Eugenio Chacarra and the in-form Bernd Wiesberger for ninth place after 54 holes.
Andrew Johnston produced one of the highlights of the day with a hole in one at the 13th, which otherwise played as one of the toughest holes with just nine other players making birdie.
Article Link: SA's Premlall makes it rain in Catalunya