South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence will go into the final round of the Betfred British Masters four shots behind Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard.
Nørgaard began the third round two shots behind overnight leader Tyrrell Hatton, but he soon joined the Englishman and South Africa’s Brandon Stone in a tie at the top at 10 under after two birdies in the opening six holes.
Once he hit the front after carding his third gain at the seventh, there was no stopping the 32-year-old as he put the pedal to the floor to shoot 64 and finish at 16 under par.
As a result, Nørgaard, who co-led after 54 holes in last year’s tournament at The Belfry before finishing seventh, moved one step closer to clinching his maiden DP World Tour title.
“I made a lot of putts and that’s what I’ve been struggling a little with this year. The driver has been good and today, something just clicked with the putting,” Nørgaard said.
“It’s funny how the snowball just rolls after one putt then another one feels easier and the next even easier. It was just that kind of day.
“I think I just really had the belief after seeing them go in and go in and go in, and just on the final one I had no doubt that I was going to make that one so that was very nice.
“I was just very, very present today, as I haven’t been before, just in every shot. The bogey on 17 was stupid, but that took a little bit of the pressure off hole 18 and calmed me down a little bit. I felt pretty calm out there.”
Hatton immediately relinquished his one-shot advantage at the summit by carding an opening bogey, which playing partner Jeong weon Ko made the most of by holing a 12 foot putt for birdie to become the new leader.
Nørgaard had birdied the first from 16 feet and tapped in another at the 3rd to climb up to 10 under, but Stone, who was playing with the Dane, rolled in his eagle effort to take the outright lead.
Hatton responded with a gain at the 3rd and Stone bogeyed the 6th to make it a three-way tie at the top, before Nørgaard was the fourth different leader with a smooth birdie at the 7th.
The Dane started his back nine by narrowly missing his eagle putt to improve his advantage by two and when he rolled in from 11 feet, he was leading by three.
Nørgaard salvaged a brilliant par at the 13th after finding the rough behind trees with his tee-shot, which meant he could only chip into the greenside bunker.
His hot streak continue at the next when, from the greenside rough, he putted from 40 feet which rattled the pin and found the cup to sit at 14 under.
He did not stop there. A 359-yard drive at the 15th led to the Dane picking up another shot from short range for his seven birdie of the round.
The putter was on fire at the next and, with a two tier green to negotiate, Nørgaard judged his putt to perfection from 42 feet to complete a hat-trick of gains and lead by six strokes at 16 under.
The par-five 17th offered an opportunity to close in on the course record but a poor tee-shot meant he had to chip out and when his par putt pulled up short, the world No 205 recorded his first dropped shot of the day.
Lawrence, playing in the group ahead, finished with four straight birdies – the last came courtesy of a magical approach to within one foot – to head into the clubhouse three shots adrift.
Nørgaard responded with a booming drive and an equally impressive approach and when he rolled in his 14 foot putt, he returned to 16 under.
Lawrence picked up shots at the 1st and 3rd, only to give them back at the next with a double-bogey. He immediately replied with a birdie at the 5th before finishing his front nine with a bogey.
A birdie-bogey-birdie start to the back nine followed before his stunning end to his third round saw him become Nørgaard’s closest challenger at 12 under.
Frenchman Ko is in sole third after mixing four birdies and three bogeys to sit two shots further adrift, while Englishman Andrew Wilson carded seven birdies and a dropped shot before a double-bogey at the last saw him slip back to eight under.
Stone signed for a two-over 74 to join Sweden’s Jesper Svensson at seven under. Hatton, Spaniard Jorge Campillo, Frenchman Tom Vaillant, Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard and Italian Matteo Manassero are one further back.
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
