Marco Crespi was left ruing a double bogey at the last in the third round of the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, but he remains on track to return to The European Tour.
The Italian carded a four under par 67 to lie tied third in Italy, three shots behind leader Joachim B Hansen, which has moved him from 32nd to 13th in the projected Rankings.
“It was very frustrating to finish with a double, because overall I played very well today,” said Crespi. “Let’s hope that it doesn’t turn out to be too costly tomorrow.”
Spaniard Eduardo de la Riva was another major move on day three, his 67 taking him to 14 under par alongside Crespi, which sent him to 17th in the projected Rankings.
Chris Lloyd endured a frustrating day, slipping into a tie for sixth with a level par 71, and needs a low final round on Saturday to improve on his current projected 24th place, while the day’s biggest mover in the wrong direction was Argentine Daniel Vancsik, who struggled to a 79 and now has his work cut out to hold on to 21st spot in the Rankings.
Should Hansen triumph, he could finish the season as the Challenge Tour Number One, with total earnings of €147,310.
The top 45 players in the Rankings have qualified for the season-ending tournament, and on Saturday the top 21 players in the Rankings will earn promotion to The European Tour.
