CHALLENGE TOUR

Molinari matches on towards a second title

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Edoardo Molinari’s imperious season continued as he took a stranglehold of the Kazakhstan Open with a round of 66 on day three of the €400,000 event.
The Italian, who has already collected €124,080 thanks largely to one victory and a further seven top ten finishes this season, leads by three shots from Sweden’s Peter Gustafsson after another masterclass at Zhailjau Golf Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Six birdies in his flawless round of 66 moved Molinari to 16 under par and put him on course to smash David Horsey’s record earnings of €144,118, achieved last season.
England’s Chris Gane is four strokes back after a round of 68, with a quintet of players a shot further back on 11 under par: the English trio of Gary Boyd, Daniel Denison and Andrew Marshall, Welshman Rhys Davies and Frenchman Julien Quesne.
But they face a stiff examination in trying to overhaul Molinari, who believes that a closing round of 68 will put him beyond reach.
He said: “My round today was very similar to my third round in Holland last week, so I was very pleased with the score – especially as I didn’t drop any shots. I drove the ball well again today, but my putting was the main reason for my low score. I didn’t really miss any short putts at all, whether it be for birdie or par. There are some very tricky holes so you have to take advantage of the par 5s, and I managed to birdie them all. Whenever you do that, you’re probably going to shoot low.
“I’ve been in this position a few times before this season and a couple of times I finished second, like in Geneva and Scotland. But I only had a one-shot lead both times, so the three-shot cushion should give me a bit more breathing space. If I can get to 20 under par, I don’t think anyone will be able to catch me. If they can, then good luck to them – I would be happy to finish second!”
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
200 E Molinari (Ita) 67 67 66,
203 P Gustafsson (Swe) 69 67 67,
204 C Gane (Eng) 70 66 68,
205 J Quesne (Fra) 71 67 67, D Denison (Eng) 70 69 66, A Marshall (Eng) 71 63 71, G Boyd (Eng) 63 71 71, R Davies (Wal) 72 68 65,
206 P Whiteford (Sco) 68 67 71,
207 J Clément (Sui) 67 69 71, S Juul (Den) 72 69 66, M Wiegele (Aut) 69 70 68,
208 J Grillon (Fra) 70 69 69, G Paddison (Nzl) 69 67 72, A Wagner (Arg) 73 67 68, S Saavedra (Arg) 70 68 70, S Bebb (Wal) 74 66 68,
209 M Zions (Aus) 68 69 72, O Floren (Swe) 66 72 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 68 70, J Zapata (Arg) 74 66 69, B Mason (Eng) 69 70 70, A Gee (Eng) 72 68 69, S Thornton (Irl) 69 66 74, S Jamieson (Sco) 74 67 68,
210 L Saltman (Sco) 67 72 71, M Haastrup (Den) 73 66 71, F Colombo (Ita) 72 71 67,
211 S Tiley (Eng) 71 69 71, B Evans (Eng) 69 72 70, C Carranza (Arg) 75 68 68, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 71 72 68,
212 N Smith (USA) 66 76 70, B Pettersson (Swe) 70 71 71, R Steiner (Aut) 71 69 72, S Manley (Wal) 73 70 69, C Russo (Fra) 70 66 76, Z Scotland (Eng) 72 69 71, C Brazillier (Fra) 74 68 70,
213 A Tampion (Aus) 69 72 72, P Kaensche (Nor) 73 69 71, B Hebert (Fra) 73 70 70, D Wardrop (Eng) 70 73 70, J Morrison (Eng) 68 70 75, J Olesen (Den) 72 68 73,
214 T Carolan (Aus) 68 74 72, A McArthur (Sco) 70 72 72, D Griffiths (Eng) 72 70 72, C Moriarty (Irl) 71 70 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 71 71 72,
215 J Lima (Por) 69 73 73, B Alvarado (Chi) 72 70 73, A Bernadet (Fra) 72 71 72, D Hewan (RSA) 71 72 72,
216 M Tullo (Chi) 70 73 73, J Sjöholm (Swe) 71 71 74,
217 A Ahokas (Fin) 70 73 74, J McLeary (Sco) 71 70 76,
218 S Davis (Eng) 69 72 77, P Golding (Eng) 73 70 75,
219 G Shaw (Nir) 70 73 76, S Surry (Eng) 75 68 76, A Snobeck (Fra) 74 69 76, P Baker (Eng) 72 71 76,
220 L Bond (Wal) 71 71 78,