Jeff Winther and Matti Schmid each posted seven under par rounds of 65 to take a share of the lead into the final round of the DP World Tour’s Andalucía Masters in Spain.
The duo broke free of a crowded pack to reach 14 under par and go into Sunday two strokes clear of defending champion Adrian Otaegui, who is third on 12 under at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.
Denmark’s Winther, whose only DP World Tour win came on Spanish soil at the 2021 Mallorca Golf Open, birdied the second hole before catching fire at the fifth where he reeled off four birdies in a row. Two further gains arrived at the 12th and 14th before he safely navigated his way home to finish bogey-free and set the target.
That target could only be met by Germany’s Schmid, who will tomorrow go in search of his maiden DP World Tour title. Like Winther, the 25-year-old made the turn at five under before also birdieing the par five 12th and then becoming the first man to reach 15 under with an eagle at the 14th. However, he gave a shot back at the next hole which meant he had to settle for a tie for the 54-hole lead.
Spaniard Otaegui had a strong home support lining the fairways of Real Club de Golf Sotogrande and they were treated to a grandstand finish, with the defending champion finishing birdie-birdie to move right into contention.
Frenchman Jeong weon Ko continued his quest to retain his DP World Tour playing privileges by adding a two under par round of 70 to move into fourth place on 11 under, with German Nick Bachem, England’s Richard Mansell and Poland’s Adrian Meronk sharing fifth place on ten under par.
Due to adverse weather conditions forecast for Sunday afternoon, the final round of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters will be a two-tee start from 8:40am until 10:30am local time.