South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout has two runner up finishes on the European Tour but is still searching for that first win after claiming third place at last week’s BMW International Open.
Leading by five after some sublime play around the notoriously difficult Valderrama, that first win looks imminent although he doesn’t plan on changing his approach.
‘Going into Sunday with a five shot lead is definitely nice,’ he said. ‘I’ll just keep playing my game and see how I finish up tomorrow.’
And with Jon Rahm in the mix, you can’t blame him for looking over his shoulder.
‘Rahm is a great player, he’s top 15 in the world and he’s a legend in Spain so it will be quite an experience tomorrow. I haven’t played with him yet so I’m looking forward to the challenge.
‘It wasn’t my best ball striking today. I made some great saves on the turn through seven to nine, I got all three up-and-down there which kept the momentum going.
‘I birdied ten which settled it for me a little bit and I made another great save on 11. The score that I shot I’m really pleased with.’
This is the first time Bezuidenhout has held the 54-hole lead on the European Tour.
