Rabat: Manuel Trappel moved to within touching distance of claiming his maiden win as a professional after the penultimate round of the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Open - the opening event on the 2015 MENA Golf Tour - here on Sunday.
One stroke in front overnight after opening with a four-under 69, the promising Austrian shot a level-par 73 to extend his lead to three as many in the field struggled to shoot low scores under overcast skies.
With Morocco’s Faycal Serghini, England’s James Allan (amateur) and Spain’s Sixto Casabona-Navarro sharing second on one-under, one ahead of Morocco’s Ahmed Marjane and Scotland’s Paul Doherty, the prognosis for the final day’s proceedings points to an exciting finish.
“The conditions are so tough out there that one needs to hit perfect shot every time to avoid running up a cricket score,” said Luke Joy, who is tied for 10th on two over par.
“You never know what tomorrow holds, but I feel like I’m in great position going into the final round. Really looking forward it,” said Trappel, who is playing his first event on the MENA Golf Tour.
“It was a tough round as I missed a lot of greens, but made some good up-and-downs to keep things going,” added the 25-year-old from Bregenz, who turned professional two years ago.
“It will be fun playing for the first time in the final group. The course is difficult, but in fantastic shape. This tournament has provided me with a great opportunity to hone my competitive edge at the start of the season,” he added.
Switzerland’s Jean-Luc Burnier and Spain’s Javier Gallegos shot matching three-under 70 – the best score of the day - to recover some ground with Burnier moving into a tie for seventh on one under and Gallegos finishing tied 16th on three-under.
Morocca’s Serghini rode on what he called his fighting spirit to stay in contention after a second-round 75.
“Things could have been a lot worse, but I managed to walk away with a good round. I drove the ball well and made a good eagle on the 10th after hitting a four iron from 225 yards to within three feet, but I followed it up with a triple bogey which was quite frustrating,” said the experienced Moroccan, who is a three-time runner-up on the tour.
“I am still in the hunt and let’s see if I can close the deal this time round. I am hopeful,” he added.
Elsewhere, England’s Joshua White endured a frustrating day as he followed his opening one-over 74 with a 77 to slip to tied 27th on five-under.
“Nothing clicked for me – no birdies and only (four) bogies. I think I have saved the putts that didn’t go in for tomorrow,” said the 2014 Order of Merit winner.
