RUSSELL AND MACAULAY STILL IN THE HUNT FOR ROME PRIZE

 CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM MICHAEL GIBBONS

European Tour Deputy Chief Press Officer

Despite a day of frustration on the greens of the Olgiata Golf Club in Rome, Raymond Russell and Callum Macaulay remain very much in the hunt to take home the Roma Golf Open title going into the final round.

The Scottish duo, playing together in the final group of the third round, suffered on the slick greens at Olgiata but managed to grind out the kind of performances that win titles, with Russell carding a two over 73 to fall back to eight under and Macaulay posting a 72 to drop to seven under.

That left the pair respectively two and three strokes behind the leader, Italy’s own Gregory Molteni, with England’s Sam Little and Lloyd Kennedy sharing second place with Portugal’s José Filipe Lima on eight under.

For Russell, victory in Rome would signal a return to full fitness and form after spending the majority of the year crippled by the effects of a mysterious and debilitating viral condition that saw him operating on 15 per cent of his body’s regular capacity at one stage.

The 39 year old from Edinburgh said: “It was a pretty frustrating day right from the start to be honest. I bogeyed the first and that kind of set the tone. I suppose I have to turn it on its head and take the positives out of it – I had a bad day out there today but I am still right in this tournament. I have to be pleased about that and make sure I take advantage tomorrow.”

For Macaulay, meanwhile, the Roma Open – the penultimate event of the year – represents the last chance for the 27 year old to break into the top 45 in the Rankings and claim a place at the Challenge Tour Grand Final.

The former Scottish amateur champion from Tulliallan needs to finish in the top three in Rome to earn the requisite €10,000 that would allow him to continue his quest to finish in the elite top 20 European Tour card-winning spots at the conclusion of the season finale.

“It was a bad day today but I haven’t played myself out of it,” said Macaulay. “I can still see that third place just in front of me and it is in my own hands to an extent. If I can play well tomorrow then I can still finish top three or better so I still have a chance.”

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