Albatross, embarrassment and Scot in mix - lots to chew over in Nexo Championship
Scott Jamieson has leader Shaun Norris in his sights heading into last round in Aberdeenshire
There’s never a dull moment on the Old Course at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire. In the third round of the Nexo Championship, we even witnessed one of those rare birds in golf - an albatross - as Shaun Norris holed from 267 yards with a 3-wood at the par-5 fourth. Helped by that, the South African takes a two-shot lead into the closing circuit.
In contrast, Matthew Jordan suffered the “embarrassment” of missing a tiddler as he attempted to knock in a par putt one-handed at the first. Shaking that off, the Englishman sits as the leader’s closest challenger, with Scott Jamieson one further back as he bids to land a successive home victory following Grant Forrest’s title triumph on the north-east coast 12 months ago.
Jamieson picked up two birdies early on before adding another brace over the closing stretch. In between, he dropped a shot at the seventh in the easiest conditions of the week so far. “Really solid,” said the Florida-based Scot of his day’s work after signing for a 69 to sit on six under.
The 42-year-old came into this week sitting 135th in the DP World Race to Dubai Ranking. With the clock ticking, he’s in a battle to hang on to a card that he’s held since 2011. A big finish here would get the job done. It would be even better if he came out on top and ended a long wait for a second success on the circuit after landing his breakthrough in the 2012 Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa.
“Excited to be in contention,” admitted Jamieson, who is on course for his best finish since tying for fifth on home soil in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. “It’s what you practice for. I am in a good position but there is still a long way to go. Now I ‘ll have to try and chase down Shaun. I have been putting in a lot of hard work. Started working with Jamie Gough (brother of former Rangers and Scotland defender Richard and now based in Fife) in May and have made a lot of cuts.
“Just had a lot of bad starts on Saturdays and Sundays and, when you are down in 40th, it feels like a tough place to be. But you have to keep at it because every point counts. But getting off to a good start this week gives you hope that there’s a big finish in there.”
Norris, a 44-year-old who has two title triumphs - both in South Africa - under his belt, equalled Forrest’s course record as he signed for a six-under-par 66. If he’d converted a five-footer at the last, it would have been his outright. “I didn’t know that and now I am more annoyed,” he said.
There was nothing to be annoyed about, though. Especially not his wonder shot at the fourth. “I was very fortunate with the albatross at the fourth,” he confessed, though this was actually his fifth albatross. “I was on the borderline with a 3-wood, but my brother Kyle gave me a number and told me to trust it and I couldn’t have hit it any better. Once it pitched on the green, he was like ‘go in’ and it did.”
A fortnight after Darren Fichardt won the Staysure Senior PGA Championship on the neighbouring New Course at Donald Trump’s resort, Norris is on course to complete a South African double. “I am very pleased with the way I played,” said the man who sits 13th in the Race to Dubai, having recorded four top-ten finishes this season. “I hit the ball nicely today and gave myself lots of good chances.”
Jordan, who finished second behind Jeff Winther in last week’s Danish Golf Championship, signed off with two birdies as he signed for a 68. Not surprisingly, it was the start of the round that he was initially asked about in a post-round interview. “I wish it wasn’t on camera and I am actually not looking forward to seeing my phone either,” admitted the 2017 St Andrews Links Trophy winner of missing one of the shortest putts of the season as he opened with a bogey.
“It was just one of those moments that happen every so often where you do that and you feel so embarrassed. Yeah, just embarrassing, but it’s happened before, believe it or not. After that, it was just a case of trying to regroup and try to hit some good shots.”
Englishman Matthew Southgate, the halfway leader, sits on four under alongside Japan’s Keith Nakajima, with Connor McKinney, who was born in Scotland but now represents Australia, among three players a shot further back in the $3 million event.
Talk about an up and down day for Daniel Young. The Kingbarns-attached player was going along nicely after picking up three birdies in the first seven holes before dropping four shots in the next nine holes as he went into reverse gear.
Finishing in style, though, as he holed from 74 yards for a closing eagle raised one of the biggest cheers of the day. Sitting tied for tenth on two under, he’s set up a chance to make a welcome leap up the Race to Dubai Ranking after starting the week sitting 146th and needing to climb into the top 100 to hang on to his card.
Lying alongside Ewen Ferguson on one under, it’s a similar story for 119th-ranked Euan Walker, who, like Young, graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour at the end of last season and, apart really from a tie for sixth in the Hainan Classic, hasn’t done himself justice after waiting patiently to secure his seat at the top table.
After being bogey-free on Friday, Connor Syme had six on his third-round card, including four in the last eight holes as he slipped from one under starting out to one over, sitting one shot ahead of defending champion Grant Forrest, who made an eagle 2 at the seventh.
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