KELLETT TUMBLES OUT OF LEAD IN NORWEGIAN CHALLENGE

FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Jens Fahrbring described it as the best round of his life as the Swede sank a hole in one en route to a course-record ten under par 62 and a one-shot lead at the Norwegian Challenge, having only just made the cut on the mark earlier in the day.

The second round resumed early on Saturday morning after an overnight suspension due to darkness and Fahrbring crept into the final two rounds after a level par second round 72 left him on three under, seven shots off the lead.

But the Swede, who was also in contention at last week’s Finnish Challenge, hit his stride from the off when he teed up in the afternoon. He holed a monster putt for eagle at the 11^th – his second – before carding seven birdies and an ace to move to 13 under, one clear of compatriot Pontus Widegren and Englishman Phillip Archer.

“Today was just crazy,” said the 29 year old. “I started by making a 50-foot putt on 11 and that was pretty much the first putt I made all week, and then I made a birdie at the next to keep it going.

“It’s hard to describe what even happened out there today, it was just a blur. I just got in the zone. I had some birdies going out and then carried that into the back nine with birdies on one, two and three.

“To ace it then at the eighth was just incredible. It was a perfect round for me – the best of my life. I didn’t see it up on the green on eight but there was someone up there shouting and screaming so I figured it must have gone in the hole. It was just that type of day for me.”

Fahrbring will have some familiar company in the final group at the Oslo venue, after his close friend and compatriot Widegren also had stunning finish to day three, carding an eagle at the 17^th and a birdie at the final hole for a four under 68 to move to within one shot of the lead on 12 under.

Widegren is another player with very little Challenge Tour experience having just turned professional in June, but he cannot wait to battle it out in the final group in just his fifth start on the Challenge Tour.

“I know Jens really well and we’re close friends because we’re both from Stockholm,” said the 22 year old, playing on an invite this week. “He’s a really nice guy and a pleasure to be around.

“It will be exciting. I saw his name on the leaderboard and figured he must have gone really low. I saw a bunch of people on 11 under so thought if I holed my birdie on the last we might play together and I did it, so that was nice.

Archer, meanwhile, is the only player in the final group who has been hugging the top of leaderboard since day one and his three under par 69, including two birdies to finish, meant he will play in the final three-ball.

Daniel Im carded seven birdies in a row on the way to an eight under par 64 as the American moved to tied fourth on 11 under par, alongsipde Spain’s Alvaro Velasco (68), who just missed out on this title last year, losing to Swede Kristoffer Broberg in a play-off.

For more, visit www.europeantour.com/challengetour

 

THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD

  par 216 (3x72)

203 J Fahrbring (Swe) 69 72 62,

204 P Widegren  (Swe) 70 66 68, P Archer (Eng) 64 71 69,

205 D Im (USA) 73 68 64, A Velasco (Esp) 72 65 68,

206 B Hebert  (Fra) 65 70 71, J Senior (Eng) 67 70 69, O Bekker (RSA) 69 69 68,

207 J Barnes (Eng) 65 70 72, M Ford (Eng) 71 67 69, K Borsheim  (Nor) 70 67 70, E Dubois (Fra) 70 68 69, S Arnold  (Aus) 71 67 69,

208 N Elvira  (Esp) 68 71 69, L Kennedy  (Eng) 70 66 72, J McLeary  (Sco) 74 67 67, A Engell  (Nor) 66 69 73, J Heath  (Eng) 68 70 70, T Sluiter  (Ned) 69 70 69, A McArthur  (Sco) 72 69 67, R Kakko  (Fin) 69 71 68, J Carlsson (Swe) 71 69 68,

209 R Kellett (Sco) 63 71 75, Å Nilsson (Swe) 70 71 68, E Johansen  (Nor) 70 67 72, J Mikkelsen (Nor) 68 72 69, T Hatton (Eng) 72 66 71, T Remkes (Ned) 68 73 68, G Shaw (Nir) 71 69 69, M Crespi  (Ita) 68 69 72,

210 D Perrier (Fra) 69 70 71, C Russo (Fra) 71 67 72, L Claverie (Esp) 70 70 70, D Vancsik (Arg) 69 71 70, N Ravano (Ita) 72 68 70, J Glennemo (Swe) 70 70 70,

211 C Kim (USA) 69 71 71, D Wuensche  (Ger) 73 67 71, F Calmels  (Fra) 70 69 72, P Relecom  (Bel) 70 70 71, P O'Keeffe  (Irl) 71 70 70,

212 A Otaegui  (Esp) 73 68 71, S Matus  (Cze) 71 70 71, L Goddard  (Eng) 72 69 71, N Lemke (Swe) 70 68 74, N Kearney (Irl) 72 69 71, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 68 71 73, D Stewart (Sco) 72 69 71, T Nørret (Den) 72 67 73, J Huldahl (Den) 72 68 72,

213 D Ulrich (Sui) 69 71 73, M Haastrup  (Den) 73 68 72, M Lampert (Ger) 71 70 72, M Glauert (Ger) 72 68 73, L Canter (Eng) 72 67 74, V Riu  (Fra) 70 71 72, P Maddy (Eng) 69 70 74, B Paolini (USA) 71 69 73, A Olsen (am) (Nor) 66 70 77,

214 A Saddier (Fra) 68 72 74, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 69 73,

215 P Martin Benavides (Esp) 73 67 75,

216 E Kofstad (Nor) 73 68 75,

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS