Joakim Lagergren fired seven birdies and four bogeys to close with a 3-under 68 and take the clubhouse lead at 8-under before play was suspended overnight due to darkness at the KLM Open.
“It is so tough out there,” said the Swede. “I was grinding a lot all day and the toughest part out there was putting for me. I had three three-putts today and it doesn’t feel very bad, just tough.
“It was just a grind, so tough. Just trying to miss it in the right spots. The greens are very quick as well and with this wind, sometimes you can’t really touch the putts.
“Obviously that bonus on the second, and a good wedge shot on the first and then got lucky to just miss the water on the third and then hit a great wedge shot to three feet. It probably wasn’t my best stretch playing wise but certainly scoring wise.”
Play was suspended for over two hours in the afternoon due to gusts of wind over 35mph with Lagergren already in the clubhouse and tied at the top of the leaderboard with Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia who held the overnight lead.
Gouveia suffered from the wind and made four birdies and five bogeys for a 1-over 72 and second place at 6-under.
Scotland’s Connor Syme fired three birdies and four bogeys for his 72 and lies in third place at 5-under.
One shot further behind lies France’s Pierre Pineau who signed for a 72 having made five birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey at the par-5 3rd as well as Scot Richie Ramsay who has made one birdie and two bogeys with one hole still to play.
Australia’s Jason Scrivener fired a hole-in-one at the 110-yard par-3 11th hole in spite of the wind but also made a single birdie, five bogeys and a double bogey for a 75 and lies in T26 at 1-over.
Sweden’s Niklas Lemke holed out from 183 yards at the par-5 3rd for an albatross and closed with a 76 having also made two birdies, six bogeys and two double bogeys. He lies in T121 at 10-over.
