Gary Hurley looks poised for his best finish of the season as the Waterford man sits in tied second place with 18 holes to go at Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri in Andalucía.
Rounds of 67 and 71 left Hurley sitting alongside fellow countryman Ruaidhri McGee on -6 after 36 holes, and with scoring conditions proving tough once again on moving day, anything under par would be a good return and set him up for an excellent week with a solid final round.
An early birdie at the par-5 second was an ideal start, but bogeys at three and six saw him reach the turn at +1 and another on 10 saw him slipping further down the board. That would be the final dropped shot of the day, however, and got back on the bridie trail with a four on 11 and then reeled off three-in-a-row from the 12th to come racing back up the board.
From there, he’d par his way home and he’s now part of a four-way tie for second at -8, though tournament leader Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen enjoys a four-stroke cushion.
McGee couldn’t quite reproduce the excellence of the opening two rounds, but a one-over 73 to slip to -5 was far from the end of the world and he’s still in with a decent chance of pushing his way into the top-10 and earning a third Challenge Tour start of the season next week.
Conor Purcell has overtaken McGee thanks to a second successive 69 and climbed to T12 at -6. The leading Irishman on the Road to Mallorca standings made seven birdies on the day, but two bogeys and a double stopped him from screaming even further up the board, however, he knows that another round in the 60s tomorrow will give him a fighting chance if the leader struggles and none of the leading chasers go too far under par.
But after a highly impressive 66, the tournament is Gøth-Rasmussen’s to lose. The Dane made eight birdies on the day, and chasing alongside Hurley are another Dane in Hamish Brown, Spaniard Angel Aroyo and big-hitting South African Wilco Nienaber.
“It was a pretty smooth round today,” said Gøth-Rasmussen. “I played very well and I was particularly good off the tee which set up some easy birdies out there.
“I hit two good drives on the par-fives on the front nine and managed to make two easy birdies. I made a great up and down the fourth hole and I felt in control throughout my round. Overall, it was solid today.
“I got my DP World Tour card at Qualifying School last year but have struggled to find any consistency so far this season. I found something in my game last week at the European Open and I have been hitting the ball very solid and chipping it nicely. I’m feeling confident in my game and hopefully I can keep it up tomorrow.”
It was a day to forget for Jonathan Caldwell, however, as the Clandeboye man carded a double and a triple enroute to a four-over 76 that saw him slip to 64th place at +2.
The Challenge Tour visits Ireland from August 1st – 4th at the K Club and CLICK HERE to secure your free tickets to the event where a host of Irish players including Conor Purcell, Gary Hurley Mark Power, Ronan Mullarney and many more will be in action.