David GonzalezThe Dormy Open has acquired the sort of Sunday leaderboard tournament organisers tend to appreciate: two home players tied at the top, a charging South African close enough to be inconvenient and a promotion race adding rather more consequence than the usual handshake beside the 18th green.
Christofer Blomstrand and David Lundgren will begin the final round at Kristianstad Golf Club on eight under par, two shots clear of their nearest challengers.
Blomstrand Finds Trouble in a Different Wind
Blomstrand had started Saturday with a two-shot advantage, but his third-round 68 was less an exhibition than an exercise in keeping the machinery running.
The wind had changed direction at the Åhus layout, turning familiar tee shots into rather less familiar calculations. Bunkers previously occupying little more than decorative roles suddenly required attention.
“The course played very differently today,” he said.
“The wind was more out of the south compared to the east the past two days. I haven’t played it much with this wind. I had to take different lines today and adjust my distances off the tee to avoid bunkers which haven’t really been in play the first 36 holes.
“My game didn’t feel as good today, especially on the greens; I couldn’t quite get the ball to the hole.”
That last problem tends to make birdies unnecessarily difficult.
An Eagle Keeps Blomstrand on Top
A birdie at the third briefly extended Blomstrand’s momentum before a bogey at the fourth returned the shot. With players ahead beginning to apply pressure, his response arrived at the ninth.
A precise long iron left a routine eagle and sent the 34-year-old to eight under at the turn. It was the defining swing of an otherwise patient afternoon.
Another birdie came at the 13th, although a dropped shot at the closing par five prevented Blomstrand from retaining the outright advantage.
Recent experience may now be his most useful club.
Blomstrand collected his second HotelPlanner Tour victory earlier this month in Scotland, and another win at Kristianstad would all but secure promotion to the DP World Tour.
“I’m a very nice position at the moment and it’s always nice to be in this situation, of course,” Blomstrand added.
“It’s why we play golf. I’ve learned a lot from being in these positions and I’m hoping to use that for tomorrow.”
Lundgren Produces the Round’s Sudden Acceleration
Lundgren’s route to eight under was rather less gradual.
Beginning the day four shots below par, the 25-year-old negotiated his opening six holes in level par before suddenly finding the accelerator. Four consecutive birdies from the seventh carried him to eight under and transformed the complexion of the tournament in four holes.
A dropped shot at 13 slowed him, but only temporarily. A long putt on the penultimate par four restored the damage and earned him a place alongside Blomstrand.
Sunday will be Lundgren’s first appearance in a HotelPlanner Tour final group. His reaction suggested he has no immediate plans to spend Saturday night studying the ceiling.
“It’s going to be so much fun, I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it,” Lundgren said.
“It’s great to see so many people coming out here, and hopefully you’ll all come back tomorrow as well.
“My game feels good and I know the course pretty well too, so I think I’ve got a good chance going into tomorrow.”
Nienaber Gives the Leaders Something to Think About
This is not quite a two-man contest.
South Africa’s Wilco Nienaber produced a six-under-par 64, the lowest round of the week, to jump into a share of third with Dutchman Wil Besseling at six under.
Two shots is enough to be called a lead. It is not enough to make Sunday comfortable.
Denmark’s Jeppe Kristian Andersen and England’s Bradley Bawden sit another shot back at five under, maintaining a leaderboard compact enough that an indifferent opening stretch from the leaders could change matters quickly.
A Final Round With More Than a Trophy at Stake
The final round begins at 7.30 am local time on Sunday, with Blomstrand, Lundgren and Nienaber occupying the final grouping at 9.20 am.
The contrast is appealing. Lundgren arrives at this particular stage for the first time, armed with local knowledge and the freedom that accompanies having rather less history to carry. Blomstrand has been here before and, after winning earlier this month, knows exactly how useful another trophy could prove.
Both are eight under. Only one of them needs Sunday to feel familiar.
For Blomstrand, victory could open the door to the DP World Tour. For Lundgren, it could announce him rather loudly. And lurking two shots behind is a man who has just shot 64.
Sunday at Kristianstad should be pleasantly awkward.
