Matt Fitzpatrick will head into Sunday’s final round at the Betfred British Masters with a one-shot lead after posting a four-under 68 on Saturday at The Belfry.
The 30-year-old Englishman, who won his first professional tournament at the 2015 British Masters, carded four birdies and two bogeys, while a brilliant eagle at the 15th left him 12-under after three rounds.
His performance so far at The Belfry has boosted his hopes of becoming one of Europe Ryder Cup team captain Luke Donald’s picks.
Fitzpatrick holds a slender lead over Sweden’s Alex Noren, who made five birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free 65 to climb outright second.
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Clitheroe’s Marco Penge also charged into contention after producing the round of the day, a course record-equalling bogey-free 63 that lifted the 27-year-old into a tie for third alongside Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard (67).
Penge fired nine birdies, including three in succession to start his round, and back-to-back at the 10th and 11th, to sit two shots adrift of Fitzpatrick.
Considerable attention is on Nicolai’s twin brother Rasmus Hojgaard and he shot a third round 69 to lie on tied 14th, boosted by two birdies in his final four holes.
Should Hojgaard finish in a two-way tie for 29th place or better, he will secure the final automatic spot for Europe’s Ryder Cup team ahead of Shane Lowry. At seven under, he currently has two shots to spare with a round to go.
Englishman Matt Wallace stayed in touch with the leaders after a two-under 70 left him tied in fifth place alongside Swede Simon Forsstrom and Scottish amateur Cameron Adam.
Adam, who comfortably made the cut after firing an eagle and a birdie in his second-round 70 to reach three under, posted a bogey-free 66, which included six birdies.
