Sebastien Gros heading for local hero status at Najeti Open - first French winner in 14 years?

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Frenchman Sebastien Gros sailed into a commanding lead on the third day of the Najeti Open  after a round of 67 in northern France.
Gros, bidding to deliver a first home victory for 14 years, stormed seven shots clear of the field after notching six birdies in another superb display at Aa St-Omer Golf Club, in Lumbres.
Five birdies in his first ten holes set the tone for Gros and, although he bogeyed the 11th with a three putt, the 25 year old got that shot back with another gain on the 17th to climb to 12 under par.
The Frenchman’s closest rivals are the Antipodean pair of Ryan Fox and Terry Pilkadaris, who seemingly have the proverbial mountain to climb if they are to overhaul Gros at the summit of the leaderboard.
But Gros is taking nothing for granted as he seeks to secure his maiden Challenge Tour title and so follow in the footsteps of his compatriots Pascal Edmond (2000) and Sébastien Delagrange (2001), the winners of the first two editions of the event.
He said: “I kept the same attitude as during the first two days. Me and my caddie were laughing the whole way round again, which completely took my mind off the golf. We’ve known each other since we were 12, and we work really well together.
“The birdies were nice today but possibly my most important putt was for par on the 12th, especially as I’d just made bogey on the 11th. I hit a bad drive and a poor iron shot, and although my bunker shot was good, it didn’t quite react as I’d expected. But I holed a really solid, important putt which kept me going. 
“I didn’t play as well on the back nine today, but the good thing is that my good shots have been really good this week, and that was the case on 17. It’s not over yet but if I can keep calm on the final day, I should be fine.”
Fox, son of former New Zealand rugby international Grant, birdied the last for a round of 68 and a five under par total after 54 holes.   
The Kiwi paid a debt of gratitude to Pilkadaris, who during practice showed him some of the nuances which make Aa St-Omer GC such an exacting test.
Fox said: “I probably own Terry more than a drink for having helped me discover the course during practice on Tuesday. I know him well and he gave me some good tips, so I don’t think I’d be in this position without him.
“I’m generally a calm player, which you need to be on this course. Even if you think you’ve hit a good shot you can sometimes get punished, so you’ve just got to stay patient and take advantage of the few chances you create.”
Pilkadaris got off to a bad start, with a bogey at the first hole, and his day got even worse when he ran up a double bogey at the fifth after finding an impossible lie in the left rough.
But the Australian rallied in impressive fashion with four birdies in his next five holes to give himself an outside chance of securing his first Challenge Tour victory at the age of 41.   
He said: “Sebastien is way ahead but anything can happen on a Sunday, especially on this course. I finished second in Scotland last year and I have had some good finishes, but it has been a while since I’ve played in the last group in the final round, so I’m looking forward to it.”

THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
201 S Gros (Fra) 68 66 67,
 208 R Fox (Nzl) 67 73 68, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 66 72 70,1
 209 J Walters (RSA) 71 70 68, R Kakko  (Fin) 67 71 71, S Hodgson (Eng) 69 67 73,
 210 B Stone (RSA) 71 70 69, T Linard (Fra) 69 69 72, H Joannes  (Bel) 66 73 71,
 211 M Bremner (RSA) 72 70 69, D Huizing (Ned) 74 71 66, C Aguilar  (Esp) 72 71 68, S Manley (Wal) 72 72 67, J Ballesteros (Esp) 74 68 69, O Bekker (RSA) 71 73 67,
 212 J Doherty  (Sco) 69 74 69, J Rutherford (Eng) 70 73 69, T Sluiter  (Ned) 72 67 73, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 74 70, R Santos  (Por) 73 69 70,
 213 J Hansen  (Den) 70 71 72, A Snobeck  (Fra) 70 74 69, L Gagli  (Ita) 73 70 70, S Einhaus (Ger) 71 71 71, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 68 74, F Calmels  (Fra) 74 67 72, D Gaunt (Eng) 73 69 71,
 214 C Brazillier  (Fra) 70 71 73, C Gloet  (Den) 70 72 72, P Meesawat  (Tha) 70 72 72, E Dubois (Fra) 69 71 74, M Orrin (Eng) 71 71 72, S Kim (USA) 69 72 73, J Heath  (Eng) 76 68 70,
 215 R Coles (Eng) 71 74 70, A Grenier  (Fra) 71 72 72, J Guerrier  (Fra) 74 71 70, A Kaleka  (Fra) 73 68 74, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 68 73 74, P Whiteford (Sco) 67 74 74, R Davies (Wal) 75 70 70, D Stewart (Sco) 73 72 70, S Henry  (Sco) 68 74 73, G Murray  (Sco) 72 72 71, N Elvira  (Esp) 75 70 70, G Maybin (Nir) 74 71 70,
 216 C Shinkwin (Eng) 72 72 72, S Walker (Eng) 71 72 73, W Harrold (Eng) 72 72 72, J Senior (Eng) 74 71 71, B Chapellan (Fra) 69 70 77, R Gouveia (Por) 70 74 72, J Glennemo (Swe) 73 70 73, D Vancsik (Arg) 73 72 71, J Watts (Eng) 72 71 73,
 217 C Selfridge  (Nir) 71 73 73, D Woltman (USA) 75 70 72, N Quintarelli (Ita) 74 69 74, E Saltman  (Sco) 72 73 72, J Billing (Swe) 74 71 72,
 218 J Gonnet  (Fra) 73 72 73, C Hanson (Eng) 71 74 73, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 72 72 74, A Gee  (Eng) 77 68 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 77 68 73,
 219 P Dwyer (Eng) 72 72 75, S Fernoux (Fra) 71 73 75, T Remkes (Ned) 68 75 76,
 220 V Riu  (Fra) 71 73 76, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 74 71 75,
 221 M Schneider (Ger) 69 73 79, G Woolgar (Eng) 73 71 77, N Ravano (Ita) 67 75 79,
 222 P Widegren  (Swe) 74 69 79,
 227 D Law (Sco) 74 71 82




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