Welshman Mark Pilkington continued his dominance of the Morson International Pro-Am Challenge, after a third round 71 left him three strokes clear going into the final 18 holes at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club. Pilkington, who has led the tournament since day one, is just one round away from securing the first victory of his eight year professional career.
Over the course of those eight years, Pilkington has had his share of highs and lows – from contending at European Tour events to miss cuts regularly on the Challenge Tour – but he is confident that victory on Saturday afternoon will have him back on an upward trajectory, soaring back towards The European Tour.
He has certainly demonstrated that he still has the game to compete at the top level at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, opening the tournament with a best of the week 62, and then consolidating that excellent effort with a second round 66 to establish a three stroke advantage.
His third round of 71 was good enough to extend his advantage to three strokes from Norway’s Jan Are Larsen, who made the best move of Pilkington’s nearest challengers, posting a third round of 67 to move to eight under par 202.
England’s James Heath and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, two of the Challenge Tour’s most exciting young talents, are a stroke further back on seven under, and will be looking for Pilkington to have a poor final round if they are to secure their own maiden Challenge Tour victories.
Pilkington said: “I played okay today, just missed a few on the back nine. I had a couple of three putts that were a bit annoying, I three putted 13 and 14, then birdied the 15th but missed from five for par on 16 so it was just a bit frustrating.
“But generally I played really well and struck the ball well again so my confidence is still good. If today’s round was the bad one of the week then it’s all right. I still have the three shot cushion and I think that shows you that the conditions were quite tough out there today and not many of the guys behind me have made too much of a move.
“Tomorrow I’ll be trying to do the same s I have done for the past three days. I don’t think I’ll be too nervous but I’ll have the nervous excitement that comes with playing in the last round.
“You have got to have that – that’s why we play the game and work so hard, to give ourselves the chance to win, so I am looking forward to it.
“I’d love to win here and it would be the best day of my career if I could do it. Golf is a game of confidence, and if I can do it tomorrow then I’ll be on my way back towards The European Tour.”
The third round of the Morson International Pro-Am Challenge saw each of the 58 professionals who made the cut team up with an amateur partner. The lowest team score from Friday went to Germany’s Kariem Baraka and his amateur partner, Alex Chamberlain, who joined forces to post a joint effort of 62.
Belgium’s Nicolas Vanhootegem, meanwhile, posted the lowest individual score of the third round – a five under par 65 – to win himself a week’s holiday in Marbella, courtesy of tournament co-sponsor, McInerney Homes UK.
