Francesco Molinari was delighted with his third round showing at The Masters Tournament as he bids to become the first Italian to win a Major Championship.
The 29 year old carded a 70 at Augusta National to move to two under par, four behind on-course leaders Louis Oosthuizen and Matt Kuchar.
It could have been even better, however. After a hattrick of birdies from the 12th, Molinari dropped shots at the 17th and 18th.
“I had a solid front nine and then in the back nine I made a really important par putt 11, two great shots at 12 and everything was going nicely,” he said.
“I misjudged my second shot at 17 and had a poor drive at 18.
“I’m happy – it’s pretty good. The goal for today was to play under par and I’ve done that. Tonight I’ll think about it and I’m sure I’ll be happy with the round.
Asked about his prospects of producing a final round charge and claiming the Green Jacket, Molinari added: “It’s going to be very hard but I’m playing well and I’ll do my best.
“There’s a lot of great players in the mix but you never know.”
