The Malaga native carded a brilliant round of 66 (-5) to finish at -10. Eugenio Chacarra, tenth on -8, remains in contention despite not playing at his best golf.
The Open de España presented by Madrid promises thrills and spills right up until the final shot is struck. Ángel Ayora has become Spain’s big hope after a magnificent third round at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. The 22-year-old from Malaga carded a 66 (-5) on moving day to reach -10 and move into sixth place, just three strokes off the lead, which is shared by England’s Joe Dean and Scotland’s Grant Forrest (-13).
Ayora put on a hugely impressive display, particularly with his irons, making a clear statement; he is ready to fight for his first victory on the DP World Tour. After a bogey on the 2nd hole, the Spaniard bounced back with three consecutive birdies from the 3rd to the 5th and another on the 7th, covering the front nine in just 33 strokes.
On the back, where it seemed Ayora was slipping out of contention, he remained patient and was rewarded with a spectacular finish. Having failed to take advantage of the 14th, the easiest hole on the course, he secured a fine birdie on the next. A bogey on the 16th might have sapped his momentum. However, the Spaniard was having none of it, he saved the best for last and strung together two birdies on the 17th and 18th to round off a day that allows him to dream of winning the most special title for any Spanish golfer.
Eugenio Chacarra has also kept his hopes alive, although the Madrid native lost some ground on the leaders. After starting Saturday on -7, he carded a 70 (-1) to sit tenth on -8, five strokes off the lead. The Spaniard endured a very inconsistent round in which he failed to string together enough good moments to join the leading pack; not even the eagle on the 14th, which looked as though it might turn his fortunes around, allowed him to find the momentum he often possesses when he is in contention.
Chacarra’s performance is particularly creditworthy given that he is competing in the tournament with a fractured toe on his right foot, an injury that has been hampering his game since Thursday. Despite everything, Chacarra is still intent on saying adios to Madrid with a great result.
The Spanish contingent for the weekend is rounded off by two other top-25s; Saturday saw a somewhat lacklustre Sergio García, who was surprised to have played better in difficult conditions than in easy ones, and Josele Ballester, who looked like he might go very low but had to settle for a modest -2. The other Spanish players who made the cut are: Quim Vidal (-3); Alejandro Del Rey, Pablo Larrazábal, Ángel Hidalgo and Manuel Elvira (-2), Alfredo García-Heredia (-1); David Puig (E); Nacho Elvira and Jorge Campillo (+2).
With Joe Dean and Grant Forrest at the top of a very tight leaderboard, Sunday promises to be a thriller. Ayora will tee off with the chance to secure his first professional victory on the DP World Tour and bring the title back to Spain.
A three-stroke deficit is a perfectly surmountable gap on a course as demanding as this Madrid layout, especially if Ángel, as he himself stated, finds his form on the greens on Sunday. The Armada still has plenty to say for itself.
