David GonzalezJohn Catlin will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the English Open supported by HotelPlanner after a third-round 69 at the Vale Golf Club, the sort of scorecard that looked tidy from a distance and slightly singed around the edges up close.
The American reached 13 under par in Worcestershire after mixing six birdies with three bogeys, which is not so much a round of golf as a small argument with the property. Still, when the dust settled, Catlin was exactly where every player in the field would like to be: out in front, sleeping on the lead, and preparing to be chased by men with sharpened pencils and suspiciously warm putters.
Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen and Belgian Matthis Besard sit just one shot behind on 12 under, ensuring Sunday at the Vale should have rather more tension than a three-foot downhill putt on freshly ironed greens.
Catlin Recovers After Early Stumble
Catlin began the day in a share of the lead but immediately misplaced a little altitude with an opening bogey. It was hardly ideal. Starting with a dropped shot when you are trying to control a tournament is like stepping onto the first tee with your shoelaces tied together: not fatal, but it does concentrate the mind.
He answered with a birdie at the par-three fifth before catching fire around the turn. Four consecutive birdies from the eighth moved him two clear at the top, with the putter behaving less like a golf club and more like a courtroom confession.
A bogey at the 12th briefly checked his progress, only for Catlin to repair the damage with another birdie at 13. One more dropped shot followed at the 16th, but pars at 17 and 18 were enough to preserve a one-shot advantage heading into the final round.
“I hung in there well,” he said. “I didn’t have the greatest of starts, but got really hot around the turn. I was able to make four birdies and the putter was hot. The momentum there was big and you want to keep it on your side as much as possible.
“It wasn’t my best, but I hung in there well and I’ve got the lead heading into tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”
Experience May Be Catlin’s Sunday Currency
Catlin is not arriving at this position wide-eyed and hoping the furniture does not move. The 35-year-old is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, having won the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters and Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2020, followed by the Austrian Golf Open in 2021.
That Austrian success remains his most recent triumph on Golf’s Global Tour, while his wider résumé includes six victories on the Asian Tour. In other words, he knows the unpleasant little noises a leaderboard can make on a Sunday afternoon.
“I can look myself in the mirror and say honestly that I’ve been here before,” he added.
“I know what I must do and I’m going to try my hardest to execute it once more.
“I feel like all of my game is solid. When one part isn’t sharp, another part has picked up the slack a little bit. I feel like I’ve done that really well this week. It’s always nice to have a one-stroke advantage going into tomorrow.”
That is the most useful kind of confidence: not decorative, not noisy, just properly bolted down. Catlin’s third round was not flawless, but it was resilient, and resilience tends to travel well when the pins are tucked and the knees begin taking legal advice.
Johannessen Charges Late To Apply Pressure
If Catlin’s round was a controlled recovery, Kristian Krogh Johannessen’s was a late ambush.
The Norwegian finished with four consecutive birdies from the 15th to sign for a superb seven-under-par 65, hauling himself to 12 under and into the final group. That is not so much finishing strongly as kicking the clubhouse door open and asking who has the keys to Sunday.
He will tee it up alongside Catlin in the final pairing, a position earned by patience, precision and one heck of a closing burst.
Besard, meanwhile, also sits at 12 under after a 68 that included six birdies on his back nine. If Catlin looks over his shoulder on Sunday, he may need binoculars, a notepad and possibly a stiff drink. There are contenders everywhere.
A Crowded Board Behind The Leaders
South African Justin Walters and German Dominic Foos share fourth place on ten under, two shots behind the chasing pair and three off Catlin’s lead.
A further shot back on nine under are Swedes Per Längfors and Christofer Blomstrand, Slovakian Tadeáš Tetak, South African MJ Daffue and German trio Alexander Knappe and Jannik de Bruyn. It is the kind of leaderboard that gives tournament directors hope and players heartburn.
With one round remaining, the English Open supported by HotelPlanner has the shape of a proper Sunday contest: a proven winner in front, two live threats breathing down his collar, and enough players within range to ensure nobody can afford a casual lap of the Vale.
Final Round Tee Times Set For Worcestershire
The final round of the English Open supported by HotelPlanner gets under way at 7:20am, with Catlin and Johannessen due to tee off in the final group at 12:40pm.
Catlin has the lead. Johannessen has the momentum. Besard has the back-nine form. The Vale Golf Club has one more day to make all of them uncomfortable.
That, frankly, is exactly how a Sunday in golf should be.
