Italy’s Renato Paratore on Friday extended his bogey-free run to 56 holes to retain a one-shot advantage after the third round of the British Masters at Close House in Northumberland.
A closing birdie meant that Paratore, who is seeking his first win since his maiden triumph at the 2017 Nordea Masters, carded an impressive five-under-par 66 to move up to 16-under overall.
“I played really solid these three days, especially the short game, which has helped me save some shots when I needed them,” the 23-year-old Paratore said. “I am just really happy. We practice to be in contention, so I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.”
South African Justin Harding was the nearest challenger on 15-under after also finishing the day with a 66, one clear of Dane Rasmus Hojgaard, who matched the top two by completing the round in five-under-par.
England’s Sam Horsfield jumped 41 places on the leaderboard to grab a share of fifth place with the day’s best score of 61, which included three eagles.
The 1.25 million euros (US$1.46 million) event is the first of six tournaments to be staged in Britain without spectators amid strict protocols to combat the threat of COVID-19.
On his way to a stunning round of 63, England’s Jack Senior claimed the first hole-in-one of his European Tour career to win £50,000 (US$63,958) for the tournament’s official charity, the Sir Graham Wylie Foundation.
As part of European Tour’s #GolfforGood initiative, tournament sponsor Betfred is to donate the amount, which would be used to fund projects helping people affected by the pandemic.
The ace at the par-three 14th hole helped the 32-year-old Senior surge up the leaderboard up to nine-under-par overall, seven strokes off the lead.
“My caddie and I talked about the wind. It came up a bit and that made it a comfortable seven iron for me,” Senior said. “Obviously, there was no crowd there to cheer it, but I celebrated with my playing partner Guido Migliozzi — and there were a few people down the green there who told me it went in, so it was a great feeling.”
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