Matt Wallace signed for 70 on Saturday at Hillside, and will enter the final round of the British Masters holding a share of the lead alongside Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult.
The overnight leader, Wallace, got off to a good start on day three in Southport with three birdies out the gate, and a fourth on No. 11 to get to 16 under, four clear of the field. He lost three of those shots, though, in a four-hole stretch (Nos. 12-15) – giving new life to the chasing pack, but the 29-year-old Englishman settled down, and finished his final three holes at par-birdie-par en route to a 14-under par total.
“Obviously I’m frustrated with dropping a couple on the 15th hole but I showed a little bit of character there to not let it affect me too much. I played the last three holes really nicely,” said Wallace, who is going for his fifth European Tour title in less than two years.
“I was trying to take a little note out of Tiger Woods’ book and (not) let them try to catch me but I hit two bad shots today and that’s what happens in golf.
“It’s not about winning it on Saturday. It’s about putting yourself in good position, so looking forward to tomorrow now.”
Scotland’s Richie Ramsay was two shots back after a third-day 71, with compatriot Robert MacIntyre alongside tournament host Tommy Fleetwood on 11-under after both matched 68s.
Top-5 Leaders
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 3)
1. Matt Wallace -14 (-2
1. Marcus Kinhult -14 (-4)
3. Richie Ramsay -12 (-1)
4. Robert MacIntyre -11 (-4)
4. Tommy Fleetwood -11 (-4)
Quotable
“Today was incredible walking down 16, 17, 18. It’s like a mini-major, mini-Open. It’s brilliant. Credit to them for coming out. They came out Thursday and Friday when it wasn’t so nice, and tomorrow is supposed to be good. So let’s try and entertain the crowd tomorrow and try and get the win.”
– Matt Wallace
