Italian Open: Matthew Fitzpatrick stays one ahead after three rounds
- Published
Matthew Fitzpatrick is seeking his sixth European title
Italian Open third-round leaderboard |
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-13 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -12 K Kitayama (US); -11 R MacIntyre (Sco); -10 M Wallace (Eng), B Wiesberger (Aut); -9 S Kjeldsen (Den); -8 J Wang (Kor), A Rai (Eng), A Johnston (Eng); -7 A Pavan (Ita), E van Rooyen (SA), G McDowell (NI) |
Selected others: -6 D Willett (Eng); level J Rose (Eng); +1 L Westwood (Eng) Full leaderboard |
Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick birdied three of the final four holes to maintain a one-shot lead with one round remaining at the Italian Open in Rome.
The 25-year-old from Sheffield, sixth in the European Tour's Race to Dubai standings, carded a three-under 68 to reach 13 under at the Olgiata Club.
American Kurt Kitayama is second, with Scot Robert MacIntyre third on 11 under after a bogey-free 64.
World number five Justin Rose had seven bogeys in a 78 and is 13 shots adrift.
Rose, who began the week 31st in the European money list, was only three back overnight but could not register a birdie in round three and slipped into a share of 51st.
World number 31 Fitzpatrick, seeking his first title of the season after three runners-up finishes, was one over for his round after 12 but an approach to five feet gave him a birdie at the 13th and he finished superbly, including a 25-foot putt at the 16th.
MacIntyre, the 23-year-old world-number 99 from Oban, is in his first season on the European Tour and has three runners-up finishes, the most recent of which was last month at the European Open.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, the highest-placed player in the Race to Dubai left in the field with leader Jon Rahm absent and Open champion Shane Lowry having missed the cut, had five birdies in the final seven holes and shares fourth with the fourth-placed man on the money list, Matt Wallace, who also shot a 67.