European Tour winner Simon Khan moved into a three shot lead at Qualifying School – Final Stage with an impressive six under par 66 in the fourth round at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain.
Khan, the 2004 Celtic Manor Wales Open champion, moved to 20 under for the tournament and leads Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, whose brilliant finish of eagle-par-birdie gave him a round of seven under par 65.
Khan’s fellow Englishman Charlie Ford, a 24 year old Qualifying School rookie and joint overnight leader, signed for a two under par 70 to sit one stroke behind Cañizares, who only just finished his round before darkness fell, a consequence of the hour and 15 minute delay to the start because of heavy frost. Six players opted to finish their rounds on Wednesday morning.
Khan began with a bogey at the first hole of the Stadium Course but soon found his rhythm and made amends with three birdies on the front nine to go out in 34. Ford started well with four birdies in his opening eight holes but slipped up with a double bogey at the ninth and another at the 12th.
Khan continued to make progress after the turn, posting birdies at the tenth and 12th, 13th and the par five 15th, and his lead would have been greater had Cañizares not produced such a sublime finish in the late afternoon gloom.
“I’m happy with a 66 because I did what I set out to do,” said Khan. “I didn’t get too down on myself after the slow start, and my attitude’s been pretty good all week really. All I’ve been concentrating on is my own game, and not worrying about anything else. I putted well, particularly on the back nine, and generally I’ve been reading the greens pretty well.
“To shoot 66 is always good but especially so on that course because it’s a tough test. I’ve got out of the mindset of setting a score in my head and trying to shoot it, and instead just playing golf. If I can do that over the next two days, I should be alright.”
Cañizares, who holed a bunker shot for birdie at the fifth, said: “It was getting very cold out there for the last five holes but I kept my focus and stayed positive. To finish with three threes was a pretty big bonus. It was probably my best putting round of the year, and that’s been my main weakness this year.
“My aim was to finish in the top ten if I could, but now I’m probably setting my sights a bit higher than that. I’m looking forward to the next two days.”
Ford may not have kept pace with Khan and Cañizares but was upbeat about his game, saying: “I’m pretty happy how I’ve played to get to here. There are still 36 holes to go so it’s a long way. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
There were tales of agony and ecstasy, something Qualifying School never fails to provide, with Wes Heffernan on course to make the cut until a triple bogey eight at the final hole meant he missed out by a single stroke. And Jonathan Caldwell suffered the same fate, carding an eight at the 18th when a par would have been enough to be playing in the fifth round.
At the other end of the spectrum Julien Clément fired a six under par 64 to move to four under overall and make the cut, as did Manuel Quiros who had a five under par 67 on the Stadium Course.
South African Anton Haig, who won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket in 2007, produced the best round of the day, blitzing the back nine in 28 shots in an eight under par 62 which included two eagles, to reach seven under for the tournament.
At the end of the fourth day, there were 75 players on three under or better to return for the final two rounds, both of which will be played over the Stadium Course on Wednesday and Thursday. On completion, the leading 30 players and ties will secure cards for The 2010 European Tour International Schedule.
