Fitzpatrick on the Brink of History at Le Golf National
Matt Fitzpatrick has one hand on the FedEx Open de France trophy. The world number four produced a stunning six-under 65 on Saturday to open up a five-stroke lead heading into the final round in Paris.
The Englishman sits on 19-under par at Le Golf National, a score that matches the great Seve Ballesteros' 1985 record for the lowest 54-hole total in tournament history. His only bogey of the week came at the eighth, but seven birdies ensured it was another day of quiet dominance.
“Just another really, really solid day,” Fitzpatrick said. “I felt really comfortable out there. I was disappointed to drop my one shot, to be honest. It will kind of stick with me.”
While matching Ballesteros is a proud achievement, Fitzpatrick has his eyes on a bigger prize: an 11th DP World Tour title to add to three wins on the PGA Tour this year.
“It would be amazing to be part of that history,” he reflected. “I said at the start of the week that this tournament has a lot of history and a lot of great winners. I think it was my second professional start as well. So, you know, some form of connection here as well.”
With a five-shot cushion, the 31-year-old knows the title is his to lose. “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 I'll just take it hole by hole.”
Who stands between Fitzpatrick and victory?
France's Tom Vaillant is the nearest challenger after a 67 moved him to 14-under in solo second. Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra produced the round of the day, a best-of-the-week 62 featuring a birdie-eagle finish, to sit six shots back in a tie for third.
That group includes Spain's Angel Hidalgo, South Africa's Brandon Stone, Norway's Kristoffer Reitan and Denmark's Jeff Winther, all on 13-under.
Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 champion, was forced to withdraw before the third round due to illness after reaching six-under on Friday.
Irish interest on the Ladies European Tour
There was mixed news for Irish golfers in Italy. Douglas' Sara Byrne was the only Irish player to make the cut at the Buccellati Ladies Italian Open, scraping through on the one-over mark after a 73.
The Cork star trails leaders Moa Folke of Sweden, Germany's Alexandra Forsterling and South Africa's Casandra Alexander by ten strokes at Golf Club Milano. The trio sit on nine-under, three clear of the chasing pack.
Olivia Mehaffey finished on three-over, with Aine Donegan four-over, Annabel Wilson five-over and Anna Foster eight-over, all missing the weekend.
USA fight back at the Presidents Cup
Across the Atlantic, the United States responded to Friday's humbling 5-0 foursomes whitewash by taking Saturday morning's fourballs session 2.5-1.5 at Medinah Country Club.
Trailing 7-3 overnight, the hosts reduced the deficit to 8.5-5.5. Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im halved with Jackson Koivun in the top match, while Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim beat Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark 2&1.
The Americans claimed the bottom two matches, with Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young defeating Nick Taylor and Corey Conners 2&1 before Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns won the last three holes to edge Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune 2&1.
What are the afternoon pairings?
The afternoon fourballs see Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay take on Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, while Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman face Corey Conners and Nick Taylor. Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup meet Adam Scott and Sungjae Im, with Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark up against Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee.
Photo: Irish Independent