Adrian Meronk reacts during yesterday's round.
Doha: Weather took a sharp turn at the Doha Golf Club (DGC) yesterday and so was the leaderboard.
At the windswept venue, England’s Matthew Jordan and Poland’s Adrian Meronk – both seeking their maiden DP World Tour win – emerged as joint leaders after the penultimate round of $2m Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, with long-time leader Pablo Larrazabal slipping to joint fourth.
The outcome of the third round set up an exciting final day with contenders of the iconic “Mother of Pearl” trophy expected to face another windy day.
After three bogeys on the front nine, Jordan battled back with birdies at the tenth, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th to eventually finish the round on 70 for an eight under par and a one-shot lead.
“I find the front nine is probably tougher, it has less chances anyway,” Jordan said yesterday.
Matthew Jordan of England in action.
“I wasn’t doing too much wrong; I couldn’t get up and down, I couldn’t hit fairways, it just wasn’t quite happening but I knew I wasn’t too far off. I just kept going because you have to. It was stressful. How can it not be, it’s just hard work. The simple shots become really tough so it was stressful but very rewarding when you do well,” he added.
A birdie helped Meronk, who carded 66 and 70 in the first two rounds, to close his third round with 72 and a joint lead.
“I’m very pleased to be honest. It was super tough. I knew it was going to be tough, it was a grinding day but I’m very satisfied with the result and looking forward to tomorrow,” said the Pole.
“You have to stay patient. You’re going to hit some bad shots, some really bad shots, and you just have to accept it and stay patient. It comes with patience. I was very patient. I knew I was going to make some bogeys but I just kept going, kept hitting good shots and I’m glad I did,” Meronk added.
Finland’s Kalle Samooja sits alone on third after firing a stunning 66 for a seven under on a challenging day.
“It was almost the perfect round. I just lost my ball on the second and made a double but otherwise I played really, really good golf today,” said Samooja.
“Apparently I need some tougher conditions. It gets me to focus better and I’ve done a good job with my caddie Max this week. I think I’ve got the most out of my game this week compared to the last two weeks,” he added.
“There were a few good putts but I hit pretty well as well. I had some good chances – it’s not easy to hit it close out there so you need to be patient and use the par fives well. I hope it will give me a good chance to fight for the win tomorrow. It’s looking like that so another one, 66 tomorrow, and I think we’ll have a chance.”
Larrazábal carded five bogeys in back-nine 40 after a spotless front nine. The Spaniard is locked in a three-way tie for fourth on six under with his compatriot Adrian Otaegui and South African Wilco Nienaber, who carded 70 and 74 on the penultimate day, respectively.
Otaegui said: “I think in general I try to control the trajectory. When I strike the ball well, it goes where I want and I’m just trying to focus on where I want to land the ball. I like the challenge as well. I like a bit of suffering on the course. I quite like those conditions.”
Nienaber hoped for a better display on the final day of the tournament.
“I’m proud of the way I came back but I gave myself opportunities at the end and didn’t take them so I’m pretty angry with myself at the moment, but tomorrow is a new day,” the South African said.
“It’s tough. I really struggled with my eyesight today. I found it tough to see, it was pretty blurry the whole day and I just tried to do the same as I have been the last two days. I will try to do the same tomorrow and hopefully it’s better,” he added.
