In one swing on moving day at the Senior Italian Open, Marc Farry changed the course of his round, as well as his tournament, and will now take a share of the lead into the final round along with José Coceres.
The Frenchman was sitting on one over par for the week—six shots back of then-leader Gary Wolstenholme—when he holed his 124-yard approach shot into the par four sixth.
The eagle-two ignited the 59-year-old, who birdied the seventh hole and capped off a four-under-par-in-three-holes stretch when he birdied the par five eighth.
“It was definitely the turning point of my round,” said Farry. “There were a few people next to the green on six that just went crazy, so I knew the ball was in the hole. That was great, and I even missed a birdie on nine, but to go out in three under was the turning point.”
He carried the momentum through the rest of his round, carding matching nine-hole scores of 33 to post a six under par 66, which stands as the low-round of the tournament.
Farry, who won twice on the Staysure Tour in 2010, credits his hole-out for the change in momentum, but points to his time spent around the greens as the key to his newfound confidence.
“I’ve been working on my short game quite a lot this winter and this is a sign of improvement,” he said. “I wish could play the same sort of game that I played today, and reproduce that tomorrow, but I’m a little bit more confident today because my short game is better than it was last year or two years ago. I can afford mistakes and maybe get up and down and carry on.
“I’m not saying I’m the favourite, but I’ll be disappointed if I don’t finish in the top three or four.”
If Farry is to lift the trophy, he will have to overcome one of the Staysure Tour’s hottest players in Coceres, who is also on six under par for the tournament heading into tomorrow’s final round. The Argentinian was the best performer amongst the over-50 contingent at the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla, where he finished in a tie for fourth, and currently sits in second on the Order of Merit.
“I’ve been working very hard with my coach on my mentality—my focus,” Coceres said. “The goal is to really focus for a full season and give myself a chance to win every time I play so that I can take my game to a higher level.”
Coceres is still in search of his first Staysure Tour title and is bursting with excitement for the opportunity in front of him.
“It’s a long wait for tomorrow, but I’ll keep my confidence high with some practice, and then I’ll just relax and try to bring my very best game to the first tee tomorrow.”
Coceres and Farry will be joined in the final group by Jean-François Remesy, who is just one shot back on five under par after carding two eagles in his second round of 68.
The Frenchman will be looking for his second Staysure Tour victory after triumphing the last time the over-50s circuit played at a mountainside golf course at the 2018 Swiss Seniors Open.
The final round of the Senior Italian Open begins tomorrow at 8:00 am local time with the leaders set to go at 9:30 am.
