The logic suggests that Ewen Ferguson (-13) or John Parry (-11) will win the Soudal Open this Sunday. They have a four and two-shot lead over Darius Van Driel (-9) and five and three over Frederic Lacroix, Oliver Lindell, and Jordan Smith. It’s a comfortable, manageable lead, and they are two golfers with ample experience in winning tournaments on the DP World Tour. They have three and two victories, respectively. However, logic doesn’t always prevail in sports, especially in golf. That’s why we must still hold out hope for a Spanish breakthrough. Ángel Ayora, Nacho Elvira, and Manu Elvira have positioned themselves within the top 10 with a total of -6. They are far behind, the gap is wide, and the top two are reliable, but what if…
Beyond the victory, which would obviously be a breakthrough, the first for Ayora or Manu and the second consecutive in this tournament for Nacho, the reality is that they have opened up a more interesting scenario for this Sunday, with the possibility of doing something significant with an eye on the Race to Dubai, whether to secure their card definitively or to aim higher and think about the PGA Tour.
Chronologically, this Saturday, the first to reach that -6 was Manu Elvira. The younger of the brothers delivered a magnificent card of 66 strokes, the fourth-best of the day. He made six birdies and a solitary bogey. He has polished those new irons (head and shaft) that he debuted on Monday, and they are working wonderfully. He put the complete set, from 4 to 9, and is hitting some real shots. Three of the birdies were left given with the irons, especially on the 12th, where he was very close to making a hole-in-one. He is confident, the course suits his understanding of golf, and he is ready to go all out this Sunday. If he is as sharp as today from the tee, he will give himself a chance to climb very high tomorrow.
Nacho Elvira, with a round of 68 strokes, and Ángel Ayora, with one of 69, reached this -6 a little later, putting them all in the eighth position. Nacho finished the round like a rocket, with four birdies in five holes, right after a very harsh double bogey on the 13th. The putter was his best ally in this third round. Meanwhile, Ayora is still not finding the full cooperation of the putt to truly grow in the tournament. He is playing well, but he is not sinking those putts that would boost a round. All his birdies today were from less than two and a half metres. In any case, his long game remains sharp, and he is convinced he can shoot a very low round on this Antwerp course.
The three Spaniards are in the hands of Ferguson and Parry regarding their chances of victory. The Scot seemed to have lost the magic around the green today. He committed his first bogey of the tournament on the 6th, after missing the recovery from the left bunker, and a little later signed another on the 13th after hitting a half shank from the rough, long of the green. Doubts? Hardly any. His reaction was tremendous. He recovered wonderfully on holes 14, 15, and 18 to secure three pars that keep him in the lead with a cushion. He remains the favourite.
He must not be complacent, though, with Parry two shots behind. The Englishman makes very few mistakes. He likes the course and the challenging conditions, like those experienced today at the Rinkven International Golf Club. The weather has changed. It has been raining almost all day. On one hand, it’s uncomfortable for playing golf, but on the other, it slightly eases the conditions, with more receptive greens and more generous fairways. Parry has cut two shots off Ferguson today, exactly the ones he now trails in the standings.
Of the other Spaniards, Ángel Hidalgo (-4) has left the door open for a great finish in Belgium. He shot 68 and is just two shots off the top 10. In contrast, Eugenio Chacarra (-2), with a round of 72, Iván Cantero (-1), Alex del Rey (+1), and Rafa Cabrera Bello (+3) have lost a lot of ground.
