Oliver in running to be king of the desert
English duo Oliver Fisher and Eddie Pepperell will take a share of the lead into today’s final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha.
The pair have not enjoyed the best of starts to the season, with six missed cuts from 10 combined events, but they found their form impressively in the Qatari capital and will head into today at 16- under- par, two shots clear of American Sean Crocker.
Pepperell entered the day a shot off the lead, but a birdie on the first gave him a share – further gains on the fifth, seventh and 10th had him two ahead.
He chipped in for a remarkable bogey on the 12th after hitting the rocks in front of the green three times, but he would soon lose his lead to a sensational finish from Fisher.
The 29-year-old birdied the third, fifth, eighth and 11th and, after a bogey on the 12th, he made further gains on the 15th, 16th, 17th and last to lead by two.
Pepperell bounced back from his bogey with a gain on the 13th and he made two more on the 16th and 18th to get back into a share of top spot.
“I am looking forward to it,” Pepperell said.
“Mentally I feel like I’m up for it – I wanted to lead today and I didn’t want to be behind the leader.”
Fisher added: “I gave myself some chances coming in and thankfully I made them.
“We’ve still got one round to go, a lot of golf to be played out there but I’ve certainly put myself in a good position. The most important thing for tomorrow is to go out and enjoy it. I’m good friends with Eddie so hopefully we’ll have a bit of fun out there.”
Crocker fired a 67 to get to 14- under, two shots clear of England’s David Horsey, Italians Lorenzo Gagli and Andrea Pavan, Frenchman Gregory Havret and Swede Marcus Kinhult.
However, it was a day to forget for Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who has been something of a desert specialist in the past after winning back-to-back titles in Dubai.
The Bathgate man could only card a two- over- par 74 that saw him slide down the leaderboard from just a shot out of the lead at the halfway mark to a share of 33rd at the completion of play yesterday.
Gallacher was joined on the eight-under-par mark by countryman Marc Warren after he shot a two-under round of 70.
Holly Clyburn sits in second place going into the final day of the Australian Ladies Classic in Bonville.
The 27- year- old followed up rounds of 67 and 69 with a 74 yesterday, leaving her five shots behind leader Celine Boutier.
It could have been even better for the Englishwoman, but she dropped two shots on the back nine, a double bogey on the 15th, before finishing with a birdie on 18.
That put her in outright second on six -under for the tournament, a shot ahead of American Katier Burnett, Sweden’ s Daniel la Holmqvist, German Olivia Cowan and Iceland’s Valdis Jonsdottir.
Boutier is on course for her second win on the Ladies European Tour after she carded a five-underpar 67.