Reed and Garcia lurking in Bahrain as Kennedy makes a move in South Africa
Former Masters champions Patrick Reed and Sergio García are lurking just four shots behind Calum Hill heading into the final round of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
Overnight leader Hill wobbled early on, but while he regrouped to shoot a level par 72, he has just two shots to spare of Germany’s Freddy Schott on 16-under par.
Schott shot 70 as he chases his maiden DP World Tour win. But the Scot’s biggest threat could come from Garcia and Reed, who share third place with his compatriot Grant Forrest on 12-under.
Garcia carded a four under 68 while Reed, who recently announced his departure from LIV Golf and intention to play the PGA Tour from August, made an eagle and five birdies in a joint best of the day 66 as he seeks back-to-back DP World Tour wins.
“I actually felt like I played quite nicely, I just had a few errors in there and misjudged a couple of putts early on that put me behind a little bit,” Hill said.
“I managed to come back a little bit on the back nine and put myself in a good position for tomorrow.
“If at the start of the week you said I’d have a couple of shots going into Sunday, I’d be delighted.”
Garcia is looking for sharpness ahead of the opening LIV Golf event in Riyadh next week, but Reed is trying to back up his Dubai Desert Classic win and boost his PGA Tour status for the 2027 season by winning one of ten dual cards on offer via the Race to Dubai.
“It couldn’t have been more perfect out there for scoring,” said the Texan, who began the day ten shots behind Hill but birdied four of his first six holes before mixing a bogey with a birdie and an eagle on the back nine.
“The greens were still receptive, but at the same time, it was warm, so the balls were travelling a little bit, and also very little wind.
“If you were able to go and shoot a number, today was the day to do it.
“Hopefully I could just get myself back into this tournament and we will see what the lead is at, but hopefully we can go out and put some pressure on them tomorrow.”
At the Hotel Planner Tour’s season-opening SDC Open in South Africa, Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy shot a seven under 65 to go into the final round just outside the top ten.
While he was left to lament a bogey six at the last, he moved up to 12th place on 10-under, just five shots behind Norway’s Baard Skogen (pictures above) and France’s Maxence Giboudot at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa.
Skogen made two eagles in his last four holes as he tied the low round-of-the-week with an eight under par 64 to join overnight leader, Giboudot, at the top on 15 under, one clear of Jannik de Bruyn and South African MJ Viljoen.
Galway’s Liam Nolan eagled the last to post a bogey-free 68 that left him joint 19th, six shots off the lead on nine-under, while a 72 left Gary Hurley six shots further back in a tie for 58th.
