SDC Championship 2023 - Day three digest

Everything you need to know from day three at St. Francis Links.

We saw a pair of aces at the 17th, while Johannessen and Baldwin hit the front before play was suspended due to darkness on the third day of the weather-affected SDC Championship 2023.

Here is everything you need to know from day three at St. Francis Links.

Amazing aces

When the second round resumed on Saturday morning, the par-three 17th saw not one but two aces. Englishman Dan Bradbury - who is no stranger to a hole-in-one, having also made one at the 17th in the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship earlier in the year - got the first, holing from 187 yards using a nine iron. His tee-shot took a couple of hops on the green before rolling into the hole. Then shortly afterwards, South African Wynand Dingle made a hole-in-one using the same club. Well done, chaps.

Johannessen builds big halfway lead before being chased down

Kristian Krogh Johannessen had most of his second round still to complete when he returned to the course on Saturday morning, and he made a strong start, going birdie-eagle from the fifth. After giving a shot back at the ninth, the Norwegian finished with a flourish, making four birdies over the last five holes to lead by three shots at the halfway stage. But after mixing two birdies with two bogeys in the first 13 holes of his third round before darkness forced play to be suspended at 18.35 local time, Johannessen was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Englishman Matthew Baldwin. Round three will resume at 08.00 on Sunday.

Baldwin's birdie blitz

Baldwin had been four shots off the pace at the halfway stage but made back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth before picking up further shots on the tenth and 13th to grab a share of the lead on 11 under. He produced a strong shot-of-the-day contender with this perfect pitch at the 13th, which set up a tap-in birdie.

Spanish hands

Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello showed just how good he is around the greens in round three, coming agonisingly close to holing this chip shot from the rough at the fifth for an eagle. So close!

Long goes flag-hunting

Germany's Hurly Long took dead aim with his approach shot at the tenth, setting up a tap-in birdie.