If at times it seemed as if the pace of play was akin to that of a snail, with the final group taking five minutes short of five hours to finally get the work done, Thorbjorn Olesen at least kept his focus to further strengthen his grip on the Turkish Airlines Open at Regnum Carya resort.
The Dane shot a third round 68 for 195, 18-under-par, his seven stroke lead over a quintet of players constituting the largest 54-holes lead on the PGA European Tour this season. That chasing group of five players – David Lipsky, Bernd Wiesberger, Haotong Li, Matteo Manassero and David Horsey – face an uphill struggle to catch the freewheeling Olesen, who has won each of his three tour titles from the front heading into the final round.
Pádraig Harrington, the only Irish player in the field, shot a third round 69 for 210, three-under-par. In effect, he stood still, moving up just one place to tied-40th. Despite making a great start – three birdies in his opening four holes – the Dubliner leaked too many bogeys, including one on the 10th, his finishing hole, after a slightly tweaked tee-shot caught the water hazard down the left.
Harrington, a winner on his last tournament outing in Portugal a fortnight ago, had five birdies and three bogeys in a round that hinted at better rewards. “I’ll play the same every day, regardless of whether I was winning it or not; just go out and play the same. I’ve to stay patient and keep playing the way I’m doing it, just wait for good things to happen. The putting is good. The chipping is good. Tee-to-green I am playing the same as in Portugal, maybe not quite as good with some of the wedge shots.”
For Olesen, a finishing bogey, after a pushed tee shot into rough, failed to take the gloss off another impressive day’s work. He increased his lead from six to seven shots, and the title - the first of the European Tour’s Final Series – is his to lose as much as it is anyone else’s to win.
“I thought I did very well mentally. I was very patient out there. I felt like I was playing some great golf, a lot of good iron shots. Obviously it’s a shame with 18, but I just lost a little bit of concentration on that tee shot. Felt like I’ve been hitting my driver and 3-woods really, really well, so I just lost a little bit of concentration.
With a cheque for over €1 million to the winner, Olesen is in line for the biggest win of his career. “It’s not about the money. This is the Final Series and it’s a massive event and obviously it would be great to win it. There’s still 18 holes left and I really have to stay concentrated out there and stay in my own little zone. I’ve never had a seven-shot lead . . . . it’s a bit of a weird feeling, but I know it’s not easy and there’s a bunch of guys there, and it’s possible to shoot a really low one out here. Stay aggressive (Sunday) and keep plugging away,” explained Olesen of his philosophy.
