Jon Rahm shot 66 on moving day at the Open de Espana but he’s still chasing a confident Irishman.
Paul Dunne’s 68 was good enough to keep him in the lead at 17-under. He’s a shot ahead of Rahm’s countryman — Nacho Elvira and two clear of Rahm and Swede Henric Sturehed.
“There was a lot of grinding there on the back nine but I’m happy to get in with four under,” Dunne said. “Probably wouldn’t have taken it at the start of the day but given the shots that I hit, I’m pretty happy with it leading into tomorrow.
“Everything feels good, the game feels great, I just didn’t pick shots. I hit a few shots without having a shot in mind so that’s something to work on for tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll have a good day. I’m confident about tomorrow.”
Rahm and Sturehed shot 66s as did Elvira.
Elvira is aching for a victory. He is a native of Madrid and has a lot of support from his hometown fans.
“I don’t know if I can even describe what I’m feeling,” he said. “It’s been an incredible week. I’ve never seen this many people together on a golf course, at least on this golf course. It’s been kind of difficult to hold it together today because it was kind of emotional, everybody was pushing around – it’s been an amazing day.
“The crowds today were unbelievable. I’ve been in contention before but not like this, people all over Madrid, all over Spain supporting and cheering me on. It’s been fantastic.
“There’s going to be a lot of emotion tomorrow. If it’s at least half of what I’m feeling today it’s going to be tough but I would like to keep trying to make people enjoy what they are watching – that’s what Spanish golf needs, it needs to show that it’s fun to come and watch a golf tournament.
“I’ll try to stick with my game plan, relax, try to have fun and see what happens. I’ll probably start crying if I win.”
Third Round Scores:
