David GonzalezBack-to-back rounds of 63 have put Marc Warren three clear at the Open de Portugal, where one outrageous nine-iron helped turn Saturday into something rather more serious.
Marc Warren’s Open de Portugal challenge has reached that interesting stage where a good week begins to look suspiciously like a very good one.
The Scot followed Friday’s eight-under-par 63 with another on Saturday, moving to 22 under and taking a three-shot lead into the final round at PGA Aroeira No.1. Seven birdies helped, naturally. So did an eagle from 150 yards that required rather less assistance from the putter.
Warren holed a three-quarter nine-iron at the par-four seventh, straight into the cup, before making another two at the par-three eighth. It was the sort of two-hole sequence that can change the mood of a tournament rather quickly.
Warren’s nine-iron provides the Saturday spark
Until the seventh, Warren had been moving along perfectly well rather than threatening to disappear over the horizon. He had birdied two of his opening six holes, maintaining the tidy golf that has characterised his week.
Then came the slightly absurd bit.
“I had a good break off the tee on the right hand side of the fairway, so it was a little bit further back then we wanted,” Warren said. “From 150 yards I hit a three quarter nine iron straight in, slam dunk. It didn’t even touch the hole, not even any damage which is unusual.”
Golf can be terribly complicated until somebody holes a nine-iron.
Warren followed the eagle with a birdie at the difficult eighth and added four more gains on the back nine. Even a bogey at the ninth did little to disturb him.
“But that was good I feel like that got everything going and it was nice to follow that up with a good two on eight and then a good back nine,” he said.
“In a funny way, a shot like that or a good break where it goes in can actually knock you off a little bit, so it was nice to keep the concentration going.”
That concentration produced a particularly sharp finish: three consecutive threes to close out another 63.
Driving has kept the trees largely decorative
There is a fairly obvious way to make PGA Aroeira No.1 more difficult than necessary: start visiting the trees.
Warren has mostly declined the invitation.
“I drove it well again which I think is the key around here,” he said.
The numbers support the general picture. He has made only two bogeys all week, despite a tree-lined layout where an errant tee shot can turn an ordinary hole into an exercise in forestry.
“Every hole is tree lined here so you can quickly get into trouble,” Warren said. “Eight and nine are two of the toughest holes on the course, I bogeyed nine today. But I’ve been fortunate when I have been in the trees to have a shot so far so hopefully that continues tomorrow.”
There was, remarkably, still something for him to grumble about after an eight-under round. The par fives had not yielded quite enough.
“I didn’t quite take advantage of the par fives as much today.
“I had a really good eagle chance on one from about 12 feet I think, then made par on ten and 15 so a little bit frustrated there, but great to finish with three threes.”
A golfer finding fault with a 63 is usually either playing extraordinarily well or has been playing the game for long enough to know satisfaction is dangerous. Warren, at 45, qualifies comfortably on both counts this week.
Friedrichsen keeps Warren within sight
Sebastian Friedrichsen prevented the leader from enjoying too much daylight.
The Dane shot a third-round 64 to reach 19 under, three behind Warren and close enough to ensure Sunday is not simply a ceremonial walk around Aroeira.
There is then a substantial gap to third. South Africa’s MJ Daffue and Spain’s Joseba Torres share that position on 16 under, six shots from the lead.
Matthew Southgate, Andres German Gallegos, James Meyer de Beco, Tobias Jensen Eden and Alex Goff are another stroke back at 15 under.
Warren will play the final round alongside Friedrichsen and Daffue, teeing off at 11:46am local time.
More than a trophy is available on Sunday
The immediate attraction is obvious. Warren is one round away from putting himself in position to claim a third HotelPlanner Tour victory.
The wider consequence may matter nearly as much.
He entered the week 53rd in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, making this late-season surge potentially significant beyond Portugal. A strong finish could push him considerably higher at the stage of the year when ranking positions begin to acquire rather more urgency.
“It’s been a good week so far, and obviously tomorrow is about trying to pick up as many points as I can,” Warren said. “Like you said, it’s this time of the year where you’re looking to have a good finish to the season, so hopefully I can put myself in position where I can challenge that top 15, top 30 going into the last few events.”
That is Sunday’s calculation. The lead is three, Friedrichsen is close enough to be bothersome and Aroeira’s trees remain perfectly capable of taking an interest.
Warren, though, has given them very little work to do so far.
