It was a frustrating old day for Dean Burmester on Saturday in the third round of the Eurpean Tour’s Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans Montana, Switzerland, but a 20-footer for birdie on the last saw him head into the final round just two shots off the lead.
Burmester started the day with a double-bogey six on the opening hole, and, although there were flashes of form, he just battled to rectify things from that poor start, and it wasn’t helped by a putter that went stone cold. Still, to have made a three-over-par 73 with one of the leaders firing a six-under 64, and to still be in contention made that final birdie all the more important.
The 54-hole lead was shared by Sean Crocker of the United States and Italian Renato Paratore on 10-under after Crocker’s 64 and Paratore’s one-under 69. They were one shot clear of England’s Matthew Jordan and Ross McGowan and Spaniard Jorge Campillo. Burmester, American John Catlin and France’s Adrien Saddier were in a share of sixth.
After the poor start, Burmester made consecutive bogeys on four and five. After that, it was a constant battle just to make par until he finally picked up a shot on the par-five 14th. But the celebration was short-lived as he bogeyed the 15th.
To his credit, he stayed patient, which is often uncharacteristic for him, and he was rewarded with that birdie on 18 after a superb approach shot.
It was a tough day for a lot of the players, and Justin Harding was one of them. A bogey on the last after a wayward approach saw him having to take a penalty drop had him slip to four-over for the round and four-under for the tournament in a share of 27th. Daniel van Tonder was also in 27th after a third round of level-par.
Darren Fichardt was the only other South African to make the cut, and he signed for a one-over 71 to head into the final round in a share of 41st.