Robin Sciot-Siegrist started the third round three strokes behind overnight leader Joost Luiten and made a steady start to the day with birdies on the third and fifth holes before play was suspended for nearly two hours due to lightning in the area.
After the restart, the 26-year-old stormed out of the blocks with six birdies in a row from the eighth hole, capping off a fantastic display with his ninth of the day on the 16th.
“I put a great round together,” he said. “Everything was really good and I made a lot of putts. Overall it was a great round of golf and I’m just happy to be in contention for tomorrow and have a real position to do something good.
“The delay was good for me. I was two under right before and then made six birdies in a row right after. Sometimes weather delays are not great, but this time it was awesome.
“I hit some really good shots. I hit a lot of fairways and had some great opportunities to make birdies. I had a lot of putts under five metres and made them. It was just good golf.
“I don’t want to have too many expectations about tomorrow. Winning a tournament takes four days. I have to play well tomorrow, whatever happens, and there are a lot of people that want to win, so I’m just going to do my best and we’ll see.”
Sciot-Siegrist is making just his 12th European Tour start this week after securing his playing rights at Qualifying School last November. His best result to date came at the ISPS Handa Vic Open in February, where he finished third.
In second is Englishman Richard Mansell, who carded a six-under par 64 in a round which included seven birdies, three bogeys and an eagle.
“I wanted it a little bit cleaner than that but I was holing some putts,” said Mansell. “Made a couple of bad swings on four and five but I was just like, you’re swinging it well this week, you’re rolling it good, you’re going to have a chance on the back nine.
“I managed to finish yesterday’s round off well in tough conditions, and then we got called in. I was quite lucky when we got called in, I had just holed about three twelve footers in a row for birdie. As my putt went in the klaxon went off, which I was pretty glad about.
“When we went back out I chipped in on nine. Again it was like, you’ve stolen one there. I three-putted the next, so it was up and down, but if you had asked me at the start of the day if I wanted a 64, I would have taken it. I’m pleased to have a chance tomorrow.”
Mansell lies one stroke ahead of Christofer Blomstrand of Sweden and Frenchman Joël Stalter.with four players a further shot adrift in Julien Brun of France, Sweden’s Philip Eriksson, Daniel Gavins of England and Germany’s Alexander Knappe on 11 under par.
