Viktor Hovland fires 63 to take European Amateur lead

August 5, 2016 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Viktor Hovland <br>(Norwegian Golf Federation)</br>

Five players will begin the final round within four-strokes of the third round lead

MANNIVA, Estonia (August 5, 2016) -- Norway's Viktor Hovland will carry a two-stroke lead into the final round of the European Amateur at Estonian Golf & Country Club. Hovland surged to the top of the leaderboard with a course record third round bogey-free 9-under 63 and is currently 13-under-par. Following a par on the opening hole Hovland birdied the 2nd hole, the first of his nine birdies on the day. Birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 7 and 8 followed as Hovland turned in 5-under 31. The run continued for Hovland on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, giving him four in a row. Hovland then capped his day with a birdie on the 15th and another on the closing hole. Hovland, an Oklahoma State commit, started the day 4-under and three off the pace following rounds of 67-73. Italian Luca Cianchetti will begin the final round in second place at 11-under. Cianchetti shot a third round 7-under 65 and finished with some homeward nine fireworks. The Italian was even for his round before catching fire for a 7-under 29 during the run for home. Cianchetti finished with his round with a closing eagle on the par-5. Four players are tied for third at 9-under, including Scotland's Robert MacIntyre who along with his fellow countrymen have had an interesting week. Prior to the start of the European Amateur the clubs of all the Scottish players were delayed in arriving to Manniva, thus sending them into scramble mode. Due to the fact that there were no rental sets available Grant Forrest had to borrow a set of clubs but the rest of the Scots in the field still needed a solution. With time running out the clubs finally arrived at the airport and thanks to a little help from the golf gods the clubs made it to Estonian Golf & Country Club. Rain and lightening delayed play by almost two hours. ROUND TWO RECAP With two rounds remaining at the European Amateur the leaderboard is jam packed. Four players are presently 7-under and pacing the field. An additional 16 players are within three-strokes of the lead. The four-way share of the lead includes Thomas Rosenmüller, Craig Ross, Gian-Marco Petrozzi and Adrian Meronk. Rosenmüller and Ross have both put together rounds of 70-67 while Petrozzi and Meronk have posted scores of 67-70. Thomas Rosenmüller just completed his freshman year at North Texas were he won the Quail Valley Collegiate Championship during the fall season. In the second round, the German native birdied six-holes and bogeyed one. This week Rosenmüller is looking to improve on a 47th place finish in the European Amateur last year. Ross, from Scotland, finished 19th in last years event, birdied six and bogeyed one on Thursday. The day really got going for Ross when he birdied three of the last four holes on the front side. Englishman Gian-Marco Petrozzi has finished inside the top-10 four times this year but he is still in search of his first win. The Friday second round for Petrozzi included three birdies and a bogey. Adrian Meronk made history in June when he became the first Polish golfer to reach the British Amateur quarterfinals and now he is a position to make a run at Estonian Golf & Country Club. On Friday Meronk, a recent East Tennessee State graduate, birdied four and bogeyed two holes. Three players; British Amateur runner-up Robert MacIntyre, Simon Zach and Adria Arnaus are tied for second at 6-under. First round leader Jeremy Paul is 5-under and tied for eighth. Past winners of the European Amateur include Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. The winner also receives an exemption into next year's British Open. ROUND ONE RECAP The European Amateur began Wednesday with an elite field of amateurs representing 28 countries across Europe. The field is taking on Estonia Golf and Country Club, part of the rotation of courses on the European Tour. Leading the way with a 6-under 66 is Germany's Jeremy Paul. Paul, a senior at the University of Colorado, carded seven birdies and one bogey on his round to give himself a one-shot lead over a group of five players at 5-under. Included in the group is England Amateur winner Dan Brown along with highly ranked amateurs Adrian Meronk and Viktor Hovland. Scottland's top ranked amateur Grant Forest lurks at 3-under. Past winners of the European Amateur include Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. The winner also receives an exemption into next year's British Open.

Results: European Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Luca Cianchetti	, Italy	1200	72-68-65-67=272
2	Viktor Hovland	, Norway	900	67-73-63-69=272
3	Simon Zach	, Czech Republic	700	69-69-70-66=274
4	Robert MacIntyre	, Scotland	700	72-66-69-68=275
5	Connor Syme	, Scotland	700	71-70-67-68=276

View full results for European Amateur

About the European Amateur

Viktor Hovland fires 63 to take European Amateur lead

The premier championship in Europe, conducted by the European Golf Association, which is comprised of 38 member countries. 72 hole stroke play format. After 54 holes the field is cut to the leading 60 players and ties. The winner earns a spot in the ...