Benjamin Follett-Smith closed in on a second Challenge Tour title by moving into a two-stroke lead after day three of the D+D Real Czech Challenge at Royal Beroun Golf Club.
The Zimbabwean signed for a seven under par round of 63 to reach 22 under par for the week, two clear of Finn Oliver Lindell who birdied each of his closing six holes to climb into contention.
Follett-Smith, who shared the overnight lead with Frenchman Maxence Giboudot, made five birdies in his opening eight holes on moving day, a start that he admits was crucial on a testing day in Beroun.
“The front nine definitely helped me out,” he said. “Overall, I’ve been playing solid the whole week and I came out today and was doing the same kind of thing.
“I was making a few putts and hitting a lot of shots within ten feet which definitely helps.
“By hitting your driver well and putting well, you can get away with it a bit around here. The consistency of the golf course and how it plays has definitely helped my scoring.”
The 30-year-old, who triumphed in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open in 2023, added three more gains in a four-hole stretch from the 12th hole to extend his lead, and despite a bogey at the 17th – his first dropped shot of the week – he remains out in front with 18 holes to play.
Follett-Smith, who currently sits 74th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, could climb as high as 26th with a win. With the top 20 earning promotion to the DP World Tour at the end of the year, he’s hoping victory tomorrow would give him an opportunity to graduate to golf’s Global Tour for the first time after narrowly missing out 12 months ago.
“I know it’s going to be tough, and I know it’s not easy to win, so I’m going to be bullish, hold myself up high and go for it,” he added.
“I think my approach this season has been a little bit different to last year because it didn’t quite work out in my favour.
“This year I’ve made a lot more cuts but haven’t had many great finishes, but I’ve been playing good golf so the results were going to come. Hopefully this week is the one.
“I think the timing is right. If I win, I would jump inside the top 30 in the Rankings which helps, and then it opens it up for two big weeks in China. Once you’re in Mallorca for the final event, it can be anyone’s week.”
Haraldur Magnus from Iceland and Giboudot are four shots off the lead in third place, with Englishman Sam Hutsby one shot further back in fifth on 17 under par. German Michael Hirmer and Dane Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen share sixth on 16 under.
The final round of the D+D Real Czech Challenge gets under way at 7:50am local time with Follett-Smith teeing off alongside Lindell and Magnus at 9:50am.
