Max Schmitt birdied his final two holes to post an eight under par round of 64 and take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the English Trophy presented by Rocket Yard Sports Marketing.
The German has posted only one bogey in his last 36 holes as he reached 18 under par, one clear of second round leader Ugo Coussaud on 17 under par while Switzerland’s Jeremy Freiburghaus is a shot further back in third on 16 under.
Schmitt came home in just 30 strokes at Frilford Heath Golf Club and was pleased to see the putts drop on moving day after burning the edge on numerous occasions in recent weeks.
“It was very nice, especially seeing some putts drop because in the last couple of weeks I’ve been struggling with that. It was nice to shoot a low one, especially in the wind," he said.
"On 17, I didn’t hit a good drive but it ended up in the fairway and then the second shot, I struggled to get the distance right because I wasn’t sure if it was pitching wedge or nine iron. I hit a small nine iron and it was short in the end. Then I holed a 32-foot putt for birdie, so that was pretty handy. On 18, I hit a rock solid tee shot and then just hit a low one in there to the top tier on 18 and had a tap-in for birdie.
"I found my form but my putting was letting me down over the last couple of weeks, to be honest. I’m hitting the ball super great, but the short putts just don’t want to drop, they’re all burning the edges. Today was the kind of day where they’re all dropping and it resulted in a 64.”
The 24-year-old arrived in Oxfordshire in 39th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings but is projected to break into that all important top 20 with a win this week, something which he will give his all towards on the final day.
“I really struggled with my game at the start of the year,” he said. “I wasn’t sure where I was at and right now, to be able to get into that top 20, it’s really important and tomorrow I’m just going to give it my best and see where it goes.
“I just need to stay patient. You’re going to get a lot of chances so if you just stay patient, you’ll get a few birdies and that should be it.”
English duo Daniel Brown and Marco Penge share fourth place with Sweden’s Henric Sturehed on 14 under par, while six players share seventh place on 13 under.
The final round of the English Trophy will begin at 8:30am on Sunday October 16, with Schmitt, Coussaud and Freiburghaus comprising the final group at 10:30am.
