Romain ready to Finnish the job

Romain Langasque arrived at Vierumӓki Resort this week as the highest-ranked player in the field on the Road to Oman and, on day three of the Vierumӓki Finnish Challenge, he fully justified his top billing.

The Frenchman made the most of his early tee time on a torrid day in Finland to shoot a five under par third round of 67 before the worst of the weather hit, moving to ten under par for the week and just one behind leader Sam Walker heading into the final day.

The 21 year old credited a hot day with the putter as the key to his round, which has put him firmly in contention for a maiden victory since turning professional in April.

“It was pretty tough out there today,” he said. “I started really early and I think I was lucky, because we started just with some wind and the rain only really came for us on hole 12.

“The course was ok on the front nine but then with the weather coming in, it was tough on the back nine. I just kept focusing shot by shot, putt by putt, and if you think like that then the result is not so important.

“I putted really well today – after I missed some drives I always made the putt to save it, and that was the key today. I’m happy about that, because it’s been a long time since I putted like that, especially in the very tough conditions.

“I saved a really good bogey on the tenth after I missed my drive and made a really bad shot, so that long putt to make bogey was a big one. I really concentrated on that putt, then kept that going for the back nine.

“My back nine was good, but I’m working with my coach on just staying calm – I’m young and I don’t have to be focused on the result, so I just thought of that all day and I had a good rhythm and did my best.

“Yesterday I played well but I finished with two bogeys without hitting bad shots, I was just too nervous I think. But my game has been really good for the whole tournament – I have a good trajectory, low spin and a low flight, which is important in tough conditions like this.”

Langasque has made a stellar start to his rookie season on the Challenge Tour, following a runner-up finish in the season-opening Barclays Kenya Open – when still an amateur – with three more top-five results.

The nearest miss came at last month’s D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge where he lost in a play-off to Espen Kofstad, having missed putts to win on both the 72^ndand the first extra hole, but Langasque is not one to feel that first win is overdue.

In fact, the one blip in his breakthrough season so far – which included a trip to Augusta National to play in the Masters Tournament – was a first missed cut in Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, which he now credits as a blessing.

“I took a break after missing the cut at Le Vaudreuil,” he said. “I put my clubs away at home for four days, which was really good because it had been just too much golf before that.

“Now I want to play, and that’s really good because you have to want to play, want to win – I will do my best to, but if I play well, that’s good, if I don’t that’s not a problem.”

And upon returning to play at last week’s Swedish Challenge hosted by Robert Karlsson, there was yet more to smile about as he holed out with a six iron from 195 yards on the par five 17^thfor an albatross.

“It was the first time I ever made one,” he said. “You obviously don’t think about that, you’re just thinking about hitting a good shot, and I did just that.

“It pitched a few metres in front and I couldn’t see the flag from the fairway but the guy on the green said it went in – when I wrote it on the card I thought, ‘wow, three under on one hole!’”