Czech Masters: Matt Wallace shares lead with fellow Ryder Cup hopeful Nicolai Hojgaard chasing
Highlights from the third round of the Czech Masters from the Albatross Golf Resort.
Highlights from the third round of the Czech Masters from the Albatross Golf Resort.
Matt Wallace continued his late push for a Ryder Cup call-up by taking a share of lead into the final round of the DP World Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters.
Wallace, who narrowly missed out on qualification for Team Europe in 2018, mixed six birdies with a lone bogey to card a five-under 67 at Albatross Golf Resort in Prague and move to 16 under.
The Englishman made three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the third and cancelled out a three-putt bogey at the 11th by picking up shots on his next two holes, with a penultimate-hole gain seeing him set the initial clubhouse target.
Matt Wallace takes a share of the lead into the final day in Prague
Wallace was joined in a share of the lead by Sami Valimaki, who birdied his final hole to match a third-round 67, with Nicola Hojgaard – a former winner at Marco Simone GC, the venue for the Ryder Cup next month – a further stroke back in third.
“There have been a few winners up at the top of this leaderboard this week, but I’d like to say I think I’ve got the most,” Wallace said. “I can get the job done, so I know that. I know what I’m going to do now in preparation for tomorrow that gets me in the best mindset. I know that I can win, that’s the beauty of this game.”
Valimaki – chasing his DP World Tour title – birdied two of his opening four holes and made three more in a five-hole stretch from the 10th, with the Finn responding to dropping a shot at the par-four 15th by finishing his round by holing a 12-foot birdie.
Hojgaard finished his third-round 69 with six consecutive pars to stay within one of the lead, while Wil Besseling was also one back until closing a five-under 67 with a penultimate-hole bogey.
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Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti carded the joint-lowest round of the day with a seven-under 65, lifting him to tied-fifth alongside England’s Todd Clements, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and German pair Nick Bachem and Max Schmitt, with Thorbjorn Olesen matching Zanotti’s 65 to jump inside the top 10.
Robert MacIntyre, currently holding the final automatic qualification spot for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, heads into the final tied-14th and alongside fellow hopefuls Yannik Paul, Ludvig Aberg and Ryder Cup vice-captain Francesco Molinari on 11 under.
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