ADAM GEES HIMSELF UP TO LEAD BY TWO IN CZECH CHALLENGE

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR

COMMUNICATIONS 

A third consecutive round of 66 sent Englishman Adam Gee two clear heading into the final day of the 2013 D+D Real Czech Challenge Open.

Gee fired eight birdies en route to his six under par total for a 54-hole aggregate score of 18 under par, bettering by two shots the Moving Day efforts of Spain’s Adrian Otaegui and Italian Andrea Pavan – with whom the Londoner had previously shared the lead overnight.

 Francois Calmels is one shot further back after a seven under par 65, while England’s Matt Ford is part of a three-man tie for fifth place with 18 holes to play after equalling the course record with a stunning nine under par 63 on Saturday. 

Gee came flying out of the blocks as two pin-point wedges to six feet handed the 32 year old a pair of birdies on the opening two holes at Golf and Spa Kuneticka Hora.

Two good birdie putts at the seventh and ninth sent Gee clear after turning in 32, before a bogey at the 11^th was sandwiched between two further gains at the tenth and 12^th as Gee’s fine iron-play came to the fore once again.

The putting was solid throughout, too, as Gee negated a second drop of the day at the 14^th with two 12-foot birdies at the 15^th and long 16^th and despite missing a makeable opportunity at the last he was well-pleased with his Saturday efforts.

“It was obviously really nice playing with Rob (Dinwiddie), I know him very well and he’s a good friend of mine so we were both fairly relaxed early doors and I managed to get off to a good start,” said Gee, whose best finishes on the Challenge Tour previously are two third places in 2010 and 2007. 

“I chucked a couple of mistakes at it on the back nine but finished quite well so you can’t complain really.

“It was important to start fast. You know there are plenty of birdies out there and tomorrow will be similar. If you’re not making any birdies then you’re standing still so it was nice to get running straight away.”

With such prodigiously low scoring at Kuneticka Hora over the opening three days, Gee knows he will need to go out with aggression and purpose on Sunday. 

“It sounds boring but I just want to keep doing what I’m doing,” he reflected. “I can’t expect to shoot level par tomorrow and still be up there so I know I need to go and get at the course again. A 69 would probably be a minimum.

“It’s great to be right up there in contention again; I’ve been more used to spending my weekends at home recently so I’m going to go out there any enjoy it.”

Scot Raymond Russell is just outside the top 10 on 205. Compatriots Andrew McArthur and Jack Doherty are on 209 and 213 respectively.

  THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

  Par 216 (3x72)

198 A Gee  (Eng) 66 66 66

200 A Pavan (Ita) 68 64 68, A Otaegui  (Esp) 64 68 68

201 F Calmels  (Fra) 67 69 65

202 L Kennedy  (Eng) 69 65 68, M Ford (Eng) 66 73 63, C Aguilar  (Esp) 65 67 70

203 A Domingo (Esp) 66 67 70, C Hanson (Eng) 71 68 64, S Walker (Eng) 71 65 67

204 R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 68 64 72, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 68 67 69

205 R Russell (Sco) 67 67 71, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 69 65 71,

206 B Parker  (Eng) 67 72 67, J Heath  (Eng) 70 69 67, M Crespi  (Ita) 70 68 68, F McGuirk  (Eng) 64 69 73,

207 J Guerrier  (Fra) 67 69 71, N Ravano (Ita) 66 70 71, O Rozner  (Fra) 69 70 68, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 73 66 68, L Claverie (Esp) 71 70 66, B Hebert  (Fra) 68 67 72, O Farr (Wal) 67 70 70, G Shaw (Nir) 69 69 69,

208 D Frittelli (RSA) 67 69 72, C Brazillier  (Fra) 71 69 68, B An (SKor) 68 72 68, L Corfield  (Eng) 69 68 71, D Ulrich (Sui) 68 68 72, J Lima  (Por) 69 72 67

209 J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 68 73, B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 70 70, A McArthur  (Sco) 67 71 71, W Besseling  (Ned) 71 70 68, K Borsheim  (Nor) 72 68 69, T Fournier  (Fra) 70 69 70, M Sell  (Eng) 71 68 70, G Houston (Wal) 67 71 71, P Oriol (Esp) 67 69 73, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 72 68 69

210 O Lieser (Cze) 69 70 71, S Matus  (Cze) 70 68 72, A Bossert (Sui) 70 71 69, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 66 75 69, C Russo (Fra) 67 71 72, B Koepka  (USA) 70 71 69, S Davis (Eng) 71 69 70, C Suneson (Esp) 72 68 70

211 N Meitinger  (Ger) 71 69 71

212 S Manley (Wal) 72 67 73, L Richard (Bel) 70 70 72, S Tiley (Eng) 70 71 71, J Huldahl (Den) 77 64 71, B Hemstock (Eng) 73 67 72, M Trappel  (Aut) 72 67 73, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 69 72 71,

213 G Cambis  (Fra) 71 69 73, J Doherty  (Sco) 67 73 73, D Geminiani (Ita) 73 68 72

214 S Fallon (Eng) 70 70 74, J Watts (Eng) 68 73 73, J Mommo  (Fin) 72 69 73, N Elvira  (Esp) 68 70 76, C Devlin (Nir) 69 72 73

215 C Gane (Eng) 66 74 75

216 N Quintarelli (Ita) 70 71 75

219 M Haines  (Eng) 67 73 79

233 L Tintera  (Cze) 71 70 92

 ** S Kim (Kor) 65 72 RT