South Africa’s Zander Lombard finds himself two shots off the lead heading into the final round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open after a two-under-par 68 at Laninch Golf Club.
Lombard came home strongly with five birdies in his closing nine holes after making a double-bogey at the par-four 4th and dropping a shot at the par-three 8th to sit at 11-under 199 and alone in fourth spot.
England’s Robert Rock struck a 10-under-par 60 to storm into the clubhouse lead as the 42-year-old finished with six straight birdies to bring up his total to 11 as he moved to 13-under 197.
Rock’s round put him one ahead of Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello, who matched Padraig Harrington’s course record of 63 after rain had softened the course.
Rock, beaten in an Irish Open playoff by Shane Lowry in 2009, went close to a 59 as his eagle putt on 18 just missed. The only previous 59 on the European Tour was carded by Rock’s compatriot Oliver Fisher at last year’s Portugal Masters.
Rock has not won on the European Tour since the Abu Dhabi Championship in 2012 and went into his week’s event 147th in the Race to Dubai standings and 333rd in the world rankings.
He revealed he only realised a 59 could be on as he was approaching his ball on the 18th fairway to play his second shot. ‘I wasn’t really adding it up. It’s disappointing not to do it but 60 is a good score. I’ve played rubbish this year,’ he told Sky Sports.
In addition to having a chance of a first European Tour win in seven years, Rock’s round means he is well placed to clinch one of the three Open Championship spots available for non-qualified players in this week’s event.
Brandon Stone’s return to form continued as the South African fired a third-round 69 to go with his pair of 67s to sit at seven-under 203 and in a tie for 14th position, as does George Coetzee who signed for a third-round 66 following opening rounds of 70 and 66.
Stoned birdied the 18th hole for the third successive day, but he also dropped shots at the par-four 3rd and the par-four 15th for the second day in a row.
Coetzee, meanwhile, finished with a flourish, recoding birdies at Nos 15, 16 and 18 and making only one bogey all day, on the par-four 4th hole.
A double-bogey six at No 15 undid Louis Oosthuizen’s round, although he did birdie Nos 16 and 18 to finish with a level-par 70 to leave him on 208 and in a tie for 41st.
The other South Africans in the field who made the cut were Richard Sterne who, like Oosthuizen, carded a level-par 70 on Saturday for 209 and a tie for 50th and Jacques Kruyswijk who had a two-over 72 for a one-over par 54-hole total of 211.
