A closing birdie meant Chase Koepka remained the man to catch following the third round of the Rask Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge, with the American taking a one-shot lead into the final day.Scoring conditions favoured the early starters but Koepka, co-leading at the halfway point at Al Hamra GC and out last, kept grinding away to sign for a two under par round of 70 and reach 12 under par for the tournament, one ahead of Jens Dantorp and Christopher Mivis. The Floridian has finished in the top five on five occasions already this season but, with European Tour status already assured for 2018, he has set his sights on signing off his Challenge Tour career with a maiden victory – and perhaps even the Road to Oman Rankings top spot.
Moving Day can often be when a player pulls clear of the field but today saw the chasing pack tighten up, with 23 players all within five shots of Koepka’s lead. His playing partner tomorrow will be Dantorp, whose outstanding round of 65 saw him climb 22 places – with only the top 45 in the Rankings contesting the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final next week, this would be a timely good result for the Swede, who is currently in 48th place, should he continue his form in the final round. Mivis already knows that his breakthrough season on the Challenge Tour will end in Muscat but, three times a top five finisher this year, he starts his bid for a maiden title just one shot back. Poland’s Adrian Meronk led for much of the day having reached five under par for his round and 13 under par overall after 12 holes before late bogeys dropped him back into a share of fourth on ten under par. Alongside him on that mark are Englishmen Max Orrin and Garrick Porteous, Ireland’s Gavin Moynihan and Adrien Saddier of France, but while Koepka remains in charge, it is perfectly set up for a dramatic conclusion here in the UAE. |
