Lauri Ruuska will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Dormy Open after posting a one under par round of 71 on a windy day three at Österåkers Golfklubb.
The 28-year-old entered the third round with a two-shot advantage but saw his lead slip after carding three bogeys in his opening six holes. The Finn bounced back with an eagle at the par five eighth hole before two more bogeys followed at nine and ten.
But Ruuska finished strongly with four birdies in his final eight holes to move to 11 under par, one-shot clear of Norwegian Jarand Ekeland Arnøy, who sits in second place after posting a five under round of 67.
The Finn was delighted to recover from his disappointing front nine and is now relishing the opportunity to compete for a maiden European Challenge Tour title, which would be his first victory since First Stage Qualifying School Europe Section B Fleesensee in 2019.
“It was tough out there today,” he said. “The front nine was so difficult due to the strong winds and rain and my game plan was not working. I got back on track and finished really strong so I was delighted to finish one under today. The eagle on eight was very important because I had made some silly bogeys on the front nine.
“In these conditions it is so important to stick to a plan. I decided to just hit fairways and greens without being too aggressive and it worked out in the end.
“I need to focus on tomorrow now because there are a few guys creeping up behind,” he added. “To win tomorrow would be absolutely huge. I haven’t won a tournament since Qualifying School First Stage in 2019, so it would be amazing to get my first Challenge Tour win out here.”
Spaniard Emilio Cuartero Blanco and Sweden’s Tobias Edén share third place on ten under par, while Germany’s Max Rottluff and Swede Mikael Lindberg are a shot further back in fifth.
Italian Stefano Mazzoli and Spain’s Scott Fernandez share seventh on eight under while six players share ninth including Englishman Nathan Kimsey and Austrian Niklas Regner.
The final round of the Dormy Open will begin at 8:05am local time, Ruuska teeing it up in the final group alongside Arnøy and Cuartero Blanco at 10:00am.
