Wade Ormsby finds himself just one round shy of a break-through European Tour victory heading to the final round of the co-sanctioned Fiji International.
Adelaide’s favourite golfing son was in sizzling form on day three taking ‘Route 66’ in snatching seven birdies in ten holes from the eighth to the 17th and move to 10-under par on the stunning Natadola Bay GC, at Natadola in Fiji.
Ormsby’s cause was also helped when 29-year old fellow Aussie Jason Norris walked off with a triple bogey at the 17th on route to a 70 for nine-under par total.
Aussie Wade Ormsby muscles his way into the lead on day three of the Fiji International Photo – Paul Childs.
Ormsby began the day three shots off the lead and fell even further back when he carded a bogey at the fifth.
But the 37 year old, and who contested a first Major in June, recovered in style, reeling off four straight birdies from the eighth before making further gains at the 13th and 15th to move into contention.
A birdie at the par-five 17th took Ormsby to ten under and, with Norris dropping three shots at the 16th, he moved to the top of the pile.
Ormsby said: “It was a bit of a surprise coming up the last, I hadn’t seen too many leaderboards for the day but obviously I’m very happy with it.
“I didn’t think I would be in that position after seven holes, I was getting a bit frustrated. The putter started to get a bit hot so I started to move in the right direction.”I think everyone who has played golf knows that when the putts start dropping you get happier out there. I had Richard on my bag and he was just saying to try and stay cool, so that happened and I made a tonne of birdies.
“I feel like I am playing quite solid. I haven’t made many bogeys for the week and once I got my putter going I really started moving forward.
“I feel like I can keep doing what I am doing, it will just be if other guys get going as well and chase me.”
Norris, who began the day in a four-way tie for the lead, opened his round with seven straight pars before firing back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth to move to nine under.
But he recovered from that setback with a gain at the 17th to reduce Ormsby’s lead to a single shot.
Norris was pleased to get a shot back so soon after the triple bogey. He said: “It’s a tough tee shot – I hit a poor drive. I don’t mind that hole, I drive there all the time, and in the hazard you should still make five but a couple more poor shots as well and it adds up to a seven.
“It’s always good to play an easier hole after a bad hole and hopefully make a good birdie coming back so it was good to come back that way. I was actually thinking when I hit that shot in it was going to be an eagle. I saw it bounce but didn’t see it roll in, you can’t see it from back there and I thought it was going to be pretty close.”
