David Dixon stormed into the lead in The European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage after a five under par fifth round of 67, which included no fewer than seven birdies…
That score elevated him to the top spot, which English compatriot Sam Hutsby had occupied for the previous four days.
Dixon, whose sole European Tour win came at the Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC in 2008, overcame a bogey on the second hole to card four consecutive birdies from the third hole, followed by another on the eighth to reach the turn in 32, four under par.
While the experienced Englishman did hold a three shot lead at one point during the day, his five consecutive pars after the turn, followed by a birdie and a bogey at the 15th and 16th, opened the door for Bernd Ritthammer to join him at the top temporarily.
A gained shot at the 17th hole, however, handed him a single shot lead over the German heading into the final day of the gruelling six-day marathon at PGA Catalunya Resort, near Girona.
“I think the experience of having been here a few times before definitely helps because you tend to deal with the highs and lows a bit better,” said the 34 year old, who won the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s in 2001.
“You’ve just got to try to hang in there, go steady and give yourself a chance of getting your card and possibly even winning. It’s been a funny old year so it’d be nice to finish it on a high note, but I’d be happy with a top ten finish.
“Tomorrow I’ve just got to go out there with the same mentality as today, and hope the putts continue to drop. My putting this year has been poor, which is why I’m here, so it’s about time I came good.
“I switched to the belly putter recently, and it’s starting to work well for me. I holed a monster putt from about 60 foot on the fifth hole, and holed a few good clutch putts, so that bodes well for tomorrow and for next season too.”
It was a stunning back nine performance which lifted Ritthammer into the mix, after an up-and-down front nine, and having signed for a five under par 67, he is now setting his sights on victory in northern Spain.
“It was like a rollercoaster on the front nine,” said the Nuremburg-born player. “I started well with an eagle on the third and a birdie on the fourth, but then had two bogeys. The fifth could easily have been a double bogey though, so I did well there.
“I made another birdie on the eighth but bogeyed the ninth, so I was actually pretty happy to reach the turn in one under. Then I started to play really well on the back nine, I didn’t make any mistakes.
“This is the first time I’ve been in this position and it feels pretty good. Last year here I was in the top 30 after five rounds, but this position is much more comfortable. I just want to win the tournament now; I don’t have to worry too much about not getting a card. I just need to play a solid round.
“I started the week playing quite aggressively and it has paid off until now, so there is no reason to change it or play more defensively tomorrow. It’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.”
Overnight leader Hutsby relinquished his lead early in the day after starting with a bogey, before three more dropped shots were offset by one birdie to reach the turn in 39. But the resurgent 23 year old clawed his way back to third place with a level par 72 thanks to a superb three under back nine which included birdies at the 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th.
“I’m so happy at the minute,” said the 23 year old afterwards. “If you’d told me on the tenth that I’d end up with level par I wouldn’t have believed you. I just dug in deep and my short game kept me in it. I hit a couple of nice putts in the last few holes, and I’m absolutely chuffed to bits to still be in the mix.
“I bogeyed the ninth and tenth to go four over. I just couldn’t find my rhythm. I hit it really well on the range. Every time I’ve hit it well on the range I haven’t played that well, which just goes to show what a mental game this is.
“It’s given me confidence, because if I can play that poorly and still get round in 72 I’m doing well. If I don’t get off to a great start tomorrow, I can look back and use this round to give me more self-belief, because I can come back from it.”
Adrien Bernadet, meanwhile, carded the third hole in one of the week, his five iron on the 208-yard fifth hole dropping in to add an eagle to his five birdies in a round of 67, which elevated him to tied seventh place.
“That was the seventh hole-in-one of my career and probably the best one,” said the Frenchman.
With just one round remaining in the testing marathon of golf in northern Spain, the race for the European Tour cards on offer, to the top 30 and ties, was beginning to take shape.
Teetering on the brink were Peter Gustafsson, Lloyd Kennedy (both tied 22nd), Gary Orr and Tim Sluiter (both tied 28th), while the youngest player in the field, 19 year old Adrien Otaegui, was also tied 22nd.
Those just outside the parapet included Alessandro Tadini (tied 34th), Seve Benson and Chris Doak (both tied 39th).
