Sweden’s Christian Nilsson moved into a commanding lead on day three of the SAINT-OMER Open presented by Neuflize OBC.
Nilsson, who started the day two shots adrift of overnight leader Wade Ormsby on five under par, carded three birdies and an eagle to cover the front nine in just 31, before picking up another shot at the par three 11th to move to 11 under.
That carried last year’s runner-up four shots clear of Ormsby, who opened his round with 11 straight pars.
Italian Lorenzo Gagli was in third place on six under par, after recording eight birdies and two bogeys in 15 third round holes.
England’s Simon Wakefield and Portugal’s José-Filipe Lima were both three under par for their respective rounds, and five under for the tournament.
Also on five under par were Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed and England’s James Morrison.
Further down the field, Danny Denison carded a 74 to lie on seven over par – but the 24 year old Englishman admitted he was simply delighted to be involved as he continues his rehabilitation from a serious injury.
Denison suffered a severely broken leg in a car crash in Austria almost two years ago, and this week’s event is only his third since returning to action.
He said: “It’s just nice to be back and feeling fit again, because I was out for a long time. The leg feels fine and everything’s healed, so hopefully I can start getting my career back on track.
“I don’t remember much about the incident, which is probably just as well really. But I’m probably lucky to be alive, and I’m definitely lucky to be playing golf again.
“I’m still not back to where I was or where I want to be, but we’re getting there slowly. The timing of the accident couldn’t have been worse, because I’d just started playing well. But I’m sure there’s more in me.”
