Oman Open: Six Tied At The Top Ahead Of Final Round
By Matt Coles
![MUSCAT, OMAN - FEBRUARY 29: The 11th green is pictured during the third round of the Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf on February 29, 2020 in Muscat, Oman. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) MUSCAT, OMAN - FEBRUARY 29: The 11th green is pictured during the third round of the Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf on February 29, 2020 in Muscat, Oman. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/d274e62a7d7838f5cdf40fb1b4eb0810d97e7f61a4d50f8847b56ea9b10f584d.jpg)
After a low-scoring day at Al Mouj Golf, six men find themselves tied for the lead following the third round of the Oman Open.
2018 winner Joost Luiten, Danish sensation Rasmus Højgaard, South African Brandon Stone, England’s Callum Shinkwin and the Finnish duo of Mikko Korhonen and Sami Valimaki all sit at -11, a shot clear of the rest of the field at the Oman Open.
The last of those, Valimaki, posted the lowest round of the week on Saturday, as his bogey-free eight-under-par 64 saw him climb the leaderboard to join compatriot Korhonen, who also went bogey-free, with a seven-under 65.
Luiten and Stone both carded 67s, and also went blip free, while Englishman Shinkwin had just a single bogey on his card, which came at the 18th, as he dropped out of the solo lead and into the six-way tie.
The man who had the most up-and-down day among the leader was the AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open champion, Rasmus Højgaard. His round of 70 included six birdies, two bogeys and a double at the par-5 7th hole, but he remains tied at the top.
🗒️ 'bouncebackability'
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(noun, informal)
definition: (especially in sport) the capacity to recover quickly from a setback.#OmanOpen pic.twitter.com/52DFq2Q7m9
Italian Guido Migliozzi is the closest challenger. He sits at -10 with the trio of Clement Sordet, Adrien Saddier, and Jordan Smith a further shot back, rounding out the top ten after three rounds.
Overnight leader Stephen Gallacher could only muster a two-over-par round of 74 on Saturday, as he dropped down into a tie for 12th at -7, alongside Martin Kaymer, Robert Rock, and Nicolas Colsaerts.
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Lorenzo Gagli and Richard McEvoy both shot over-par rounds as well, and they now sit at -4, alongside Victor Dubuisson, Taehee Lee and more, while Ross Fisher, Joel Sjöholm and Andrea Pavan are among the group at -3.
63 players sit under par through three days at Al Mouj, with Jamie Donaldson and Nicolai Højgaard, brother of joint leader Rasmus, among those at -1.
Only six players left in the field are over par for the week so far, with those including Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Pablo Larrazabal and the South African duo of Zander Lombard and Dean Burmester.
Back at the top though, and with a six-way tie for the lead, it could be anyone’s title come Sunday evening. The final group will feature the Finnish pair of Sami Valimaki and Mikko Korhonen, alongside Callum Shinkwin. The trio will tee off at 11:25 (GMT+4).
Out in front of them will be the other three leaders, in South Africa’s Brandon Stone, former Oman Open champion Joost Luiten and Danish teenager Rasmus Højgaard. Who will take home the victory?
Leaderboard:
T1 (-11): Brandon Stone (RSA), Joost Luiten (NED), Rasmus Højgaard (DEN), Mikko Korhonen (FIN), Callum Shinkwin (ENG), Sami Valimaki (FIN)
7 (-10): Guido Migliozzi (ITA)
T8 (-9): Adrien Saddier (FRA), Clement Sordet (FRA), Jordan Smith (ENG)
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Selected Others:
T12 (-7): Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL), Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Martin Kaymer (GER)
T16 (-6): Haotong Li (CHN), Jeff WInther (DEN)
T21 (-5): Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Antoine Rozner (FRA)
T27 (-4): Victor Dubuisson, Taehee Lee (KOR)
T36 (-3): Joel Sjöholm (SWE), Ross Fisher (ENG)
T44 (-2): Gavin Green (MAS), Edoardo Molinari (ITA)