David GonzalezThe Rosa Challenge Tour has a two-man lead and a Sunday leaderboard with very little elbow room after John Gough wiped out a seven-shot deficit to join Mark Power at nine under in Konispka.
Gough did it with a six-under 64, his second round of that score this week; Power took the less theatrical route, signing for a 68 in a gusty third round.
Gough turns a poor start into the lead
Gough began seven behind overnight leader Ryan Lumsden and immediately made the task look slightly worse with a bogey at the first. It proved to be the day’s least predictive shot.
Two birdies in his next three holes restored the colour to the card, and another at the ninth started the decisive stretch. He made five birdies in six holes, then closed with four pars to set the clubhouse mark at nine under.
“I needed it,” he said. “It was a little bit slower out there today, but a run like those really helps.
“I started the day with a bogey, but I feel like I played really solid after that. I had a few putts drop and I hit it quite close all day, so I was very happy with that today.”
The 27-year-old, already a winner at Blot Play9, arrived at this week sitting 17th on the Road to Mallorca. A strong finish could carry him inside the top 15, which gives Sunday a little more consequence than the usual arithmetic of one tournament.
There is also a degree of comfort in the setting. Gough has played well here before, and after a second round that did not go to plan, he has rather efficiently put himself back in the only position that matters.
“I really like the course; I had a nice result here last year. Yesterday didn’t go to plan but we’re in a good spot now. Hopefully that’s my bad one out of the way.
“If I play like I did today, it could be quite nice come the end of play tomorrow.”
Power takes the quieter route to nine under
Power began the third round on seven under and never needed the sort of charge Gough produced. Three birdies and one bogey were enough for a 68 and a share of the lead.
The more telling detail was how he dealt with the wind. Conditions had changed the character of the course from the first two rounds, with gusts making trajectory control and patience rather more valuable than decorative golf.
“It was tough with the wind,” Power said. “It was gusty at times, so we really had to flight shots in well and accept that it might catch the wind.
“It was hard to be perfect today and I hung in well.”
That last sentence may be the useful one. Final rounds in a compressed leaderboard tend to reward players who can stay functional when perfection goes missing, which in golf is most of the time.
Power also suggested he has deliberately been pushing himself towards a more assertive style this week.
“I feel my game has been there; it’s actually something that I’ve really tried to do this week, to take things on a little bit more.
“I’ve tried to play a bit more aggressive at times and embrace being uncomfortable and try to keep my foot down.”
One shot covers six players
The leaders have no room to admire the view. Lumsden is one behind on eight under alongside Andrew Wilson, Julien Brun and Victor Sidal Svendsen. Tapio Pulkkanen, Callum Tarren, Philipp Katich and Kristan Hjort Bressum are another shot back at seven under.
That leaves six players within one stroke of the lead and ten within two. Gough’s 64 changed the top of the board, but it did not separate it.
Wilson will have the closest look at the leaders, joining Gough and Power in the final group at 11:42 am local time. The final round begins at 7:40 am.
Sunday should reward the player who keeps moving
Gough arrives with a six-under 64 and the useful memory of having already won this season. Power arrives with a steadier card, confidence in his ball-striking and, judging by his own comments, no great desire to retreat into safety.
If the wind returns, that contrast may matter. Gough has shown he can make up ground quickly; Power has shown he can absorb awkward conditions without letting the round fray at the edges.
The numbers say they start level. The more interesting part is how differently they got there.
By Sunday afternoon in Konispka, one of them may have made that distinction irrelevant.
