Andy DevaneyJoe Dean had spent 15 holes building a three-shot lead at the Open de España presented by Madrid. Two holes later, there was nothing left of it. The Englishman needed a birdie from 31 feet on the 18th simply to finish Saturday back at the top of the leaderboard.
And he made it.
Which is how Dean and Grant Forrest will start the final round at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid tied at 13 under par, with three challengers just one stroke behind.
There are less complicated ways to spend a Saturday, but they rarely make such interesting sport.
Joe Dean rescues his round with one final birdie
For much of the afternoon, Dean appeared to have everything under control. Eight birdies through his opening 15 holes had carried the Sheffield golfer into a three-shot advantage, leaving him in an enviable position with the finish approaching.
Then golf did what golf occasionally does to anyone who starts feeling comfortable.
A double bogey at the 16th took two strokes out of his lead. Another disappeared with a bogey at the 17th. Three shots squandered in two holes, and suddenly a commanding position had become a rather uncomfortable one.
The damage could have been worse.
Dean’s response on the final green was exceptional. Faced with a 31-foot birdie putt, he found the bottom of the cup and restored himself to a share of first place.
The putt could not erase what had happened over the previous two holes, but it did change the complexion of his Sunday.
Dean admitted the finish had given him something positive to take into the final round.
“It gave a little bit of hope after those previous two holes. But nothing’s guaranteed in this game and it only takes a slight lapse in concentration or a bad shot and before you know it you’re chasing.
It’s nice to finish with a birdie on the last. We’ll go again and see what happens.”
It was a fairly accurate assessment of an afternoon in which he demonstrated both the scoring ability to separate himself from the field and just how quickly that separation can disappear.
Grant Forrest finds his scoring touch when it matters
Forrest’s route to the top was rather different.
The Scot began the third round with a one-shot lead and made a promising start, picking up birdies at the third and fourth holes. A bogey at the fifth interrupted his progress, and five consecutive pars followed as others began making their move.
There was nothing disastrous about his golf. It simply wasn’t producing enough birdies to keep pace with Dean.
That changed on the back nine.
Forrest birdied the 11th, added another at the 14th and collected a third at the 16th. Those three gains lifted him to 13 under and preserved his opportunity to complete a wire-to-wire victory.
It was a particularly useful recovery considering he felt some distance from his best.
“I’m happy with how I handled today. I didn’t have my best stuff but I’m really proud of how I dug in and made some nice putts, a couple of good recovery shots and all in all a decent score again.
This is one of my favourite tournaments – it’s been good to me in the past – and I’d love nothing more than to go home with a trophy tomorrow.”
There is something encouraging about finding a way to score when the swing isn’t entirely cooperating.
Forrest did not need to produce his finest golf to remain in front. He needed enough patience to stay in touch and enough quality to take advantage when his opportunities arrived.
Both were evident in the closing stretch.
Three players are waiting just one shot behind
The temptation is to present Sunday’s final round as a straight contest between Forrest and Dean.
The leaderboard suggests otherwise.
Joel Girrbach, Victor Perez and Jacob Skov Olesen are all at 12 under par, just one shot away from the joint leaders.
That is a sufficiently narrow margin to make any suggestion of a two-man race premature, particularly after what happened to Dean over the final three holes.
The leading pair may have attracted the attention on Saturday, but neither has established a meaningful cushion.
Angel Ayora keeps Spanish hopes alive
There is also a home contender with an opportunity to give the Madrid galleries something to celebrate.
Angel Ayora produced a five-under-par 66 to reach ten under, leaving him three strokes behind Forrest and Dean heading into the final round.
The Spaniard is pursuing his first DP World Tour title, and the home crowd has been firmly behind him.
Three shots represent a more substantial deficit than the one facing Girrbach, Perez and Olesen, but Ayora’s third-round scoring has at least kept him in the conversation.
France’s Martin Couvra is another stroke further back at nine under.
Forrest remains in position to turn three days of leading the Open de España into a trophy. Dean has recovered from a late collapse to give himself an equal opportunity.
Yet with three players immediately behind them, neither can afford to treat Sunday’s final round as a private appointment.
After Saturday’s evidence, a three-shot lead is no guarantee of anything. A one-shot advantage is barely worth getting comfortable about.
