Matt Fitzpatrick will take a five-shot advantage into the final round of the FedEx Open de France after extending his lead on Saturday at Le Golf National.
Related: Matt Fitzpatrick surges to halfway lead in France
The World Number Four, who began his day one shot clear, produced another superb round on the outskirts of Paris, signing for a 65 to reach 19 under par.
View this post on Instagram
Fitzpatrick, making his sixth appearance at Continental Europe’s oldest national open, opened his third round in style, collecting shots at the first and third before adding another at the sixth to take the margin to three. A dropped shot at the eighth marked his first blemish of the week, but a gain at the next offset any major damage and maintained his buffer around the turn.
The 2022 U.S. Open Champion managed another three birdies on his way home to move clear at the top, with his sights now set on his 11th DP World Tour title and fourth victory of the year, following three wins on the PGA Tour earlier in the season.
Fitzpatrick will be joined by France’s own Tom Vaillant in the final group, after the 24-year-old delivered another impressive round on home soil.
View this post on Instagram
The fan favourite mixed five birdies with a bogey to card a 67 and reach 14 under after 54 holes, his efforts enough to move him into outright second ahead of Sunday’s finale.
Victory would mark his first on golf’s Global Tour, and the first win by a Frenchman at the historic national open since Thomas Levet in 2011.
South Africa’s Brandon Stone will join the pair in the last three ball after carding an eight under 63 to move into a share of third.
View this post on Instagram
The three-time DP World Tour winner went bogey-free to reach 13 under and sit alongside Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan, Denmark’s Jeff Winther and Spanish duo Angel Hidalgo and Eugenio Chacarra, the latter posting a 62 to equal the course record at Le Golf National.
Defending champion Michael Kim, who found the water on the last, sits a further shot back, tied for eighth with Germany’s Marcel Siem and Italy’s Guigo Migliozzi.
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, 2017 FedEx Open de France winner Tommy Fleetwood was forced to withdraw prior to his third round due to illness.
Player quotes
Matt Fitzpatrick: Just another really, really solid day. I felt really comfortable out there. I think to birdie the first, it’s always nice to kind of get off to a nice start like that. And then two-under through three, and you can kind of kick on from there. And I felt like that my game was pretty solid all day. I was disappointed to drop my one shot, to be honest. It will kind of stick with me.
I guess it’s difficult to say, really (where his current form ranks). I was disappointed kind of at The Open, and then my form in the Play-Offs, I didn’t play how I would have wanted to do it to end the PGA Tour season. But I had a good week last week, and obviously playing well so far. So feel like I’m in a nice spot to have a good offseason and kick on.
Yeah, it’d be amazing (to win Continental Europe’s oldest national open). It would be amazing to be part of the history. I said at the start of the week, this tournament has a lot of history and a lot of great winners. It was one of my – I think it was my second professional start as well. So, you know, some form of connection here as well. And, yeah, I’ve got to go out and play my own game. I feel like I’m in a position that if I go and shoot a good round tomorrow, then obviously it makes it almost impossible to catch. But long way to go, and just take it hole by hole.
