Joel Moscatel (-13) will fight for victory on the Challenge Tour for the second consecutive Sunday. Two weeks ago he achieved a sensational victory in Seville and tomorrow he will seek to repeat at the Odense Eventyr Golf in Denmark. The golfer from Barcelona handed in a card of 67 strokes on the third day of the Danish Golf Challenge and has placed himself in third position, five strokes behind the leader, the Norwegian Andreas Halvorsen (-18).
The situation is similar but a little more complex than 15 days ago. Then, in the Challenge of Spain, he also started from the third place on Sunday, but he did it three strokes behind Tapio Pulkkanen, by the way, another Nordic. A round of 67 at the Real Club Sevilla Golf was enough for Moscatel to win. We will see if a 67 would also serve him here, it certainly should not be far off.
For now, Halvorsen has been unbeatable. He has subscribed to Route 66 and has built a fantastic cushion. Three rounds of 66 strokes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday have given him a three-stroke advantage over the Icelander Gudmundur Kristjansson (-15) and five over Moscatel and the local Peter Launer (-13). If he gets another 66, turn off and let’s go, but if suddenly curves appear on that particular Route 66, Joel will try to give a scare coming from behind, as he already did in Seville.
Certainly, if Joel has shown anything this week, it is a lot of patience to wait for his opportunity. Every day he has started with stumbles and each time he has lifted the situation with great play, a lot of race and an excellent handful of birdies. Today he started again with a bogey on hole 1, a par 3 that is no candy, on the other hand. However, from there he has made six birdies, four of them in a fantastic partial between 4 and 8, and has finished with two crucial ones on 17 and 18 to give himself a chance tomorrow. Moscatel already has 16 birdies and an eagle this week.
Whatever happens this Sunday, much credit must already be given to what Moscatel has done this week. It is not easy to come from your first international professional victory and be back in the fight at the next tournament. Moscatel will go out in the penultimate match, waiting for a mistake from the leader. Halvorsen has not yet won on the Challenge Tour.
It has been a great Saturday for Spanish golf. Javier Sainz (-10) has presented a card of 68 strokes, with five birdies and a solitary bogey, and has momentarily entered the top 10. The same as Borja Virto (-9), tenth classified after signing a result of 67 strokes, with five birdies, an eagle and a double bogey. Virto shares position with the local hero Rasmus Neergaard Petersen, absolute leader of the Road to Mallorca.
As for the rest of the Spaniards, Ángel Ayora (-4) and Víctor Pastor (-2) are a bit far from the top positions. However, we already know how this circuit is and anything that ends well and adds a good handful of points can be worth gold at the end of the season.
