Stefano Mazzoli and Matt Oshrine lead the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos after fading light prevented the completion round three.
The duo will need to return to finish their third rounds on Sunday morning but they currently sit two strokes clear of Felix Mory, who set the clubhouse target at nine under par following a sublime five under 66.
Day three in Portugal began with a resumption of the second round for groups delayed by foggy conditions on Friday, with Frenchman Mory having ten holes to play. Starting the day at one under par, he quickly climbed the leaderboard after firing four birdies and a solitary bogey to reach four under after 36 holes.
The 29-year-old was pleased that he could carry that form into the afternoon, with five birdies in a bogey free third round taking him to nine under par heading into the final round.
“I stuck to the gameplan and executed well,” he said. “I don’t think I missed a shot today. I’m striking the ball well off the tee and I was pretty solid with my irons. A few more putts could have dropped, I was a little too shy with my speed today, but overall, pretty solid.
“The wind died down compared to the first round, but it was still blowing quite a bit. We’re getting used to the wind direction, so you hit the shot a couple of times and you start to know what the ball is doing.
“[Tomorrow] I’ll stay patient and be in the moment, that’s all I can do. Control what I can control and the rest will happen, that’s the mindset going into tomorrow.”
Mazzoli also resumed his second round in the morning, and the Italian made the most of calm morning conditions to card a bogey-free 64. He managed to keep the scorecard clean in the afternoon as well, with a pair of birdies on the front nine and three successive gains to start his back nine lifting him to eleven under par with four holes to play.
“I played some really good golf this morning,” he said. “My driver has been good and my putting has been quite consistent.
“I think this course suits me pretty well and it’s given me a lot of birdie opportunities. It’s been great to keep the bogeys off the card until now. Hopefully I can keep it going tomorrow.”
Oshrine had to wait until the afternoon to start his day at Royal Óbidos after completing his second round yesterday, but the American made a fast start with three birdies in his first seven holes. He followed a bogey at the tenth with two more gains to join Mazzoli at eleven under par with five holes remaining in his third round.
“It was a good day all around,” the 29-year-old said. “It was a late start for me, but mid-way through the round the wind kind of settled down for the first time all week, which made it challenging for me as I’ve never played this course before.
“Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, but that’s why we play this game – to have these chances on Sunday – and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.
“I’m going to get some food and some good sleep, I’ll try to go about my business the way I have been all week, try to hit some fairways and greens, and see what happens.”
Mory shares third place on the leaderboard at nine under par with South African Robin Williams, Welshman David Boote, Finn Oliver Lindell, and Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden, all of whom are yet to complete their third rounds.
The fourth round of the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos will get under way at 8:15am local time, with players yet to complete their third round resuming at the same time.
