Matt Fitzpatrick moved a big step closer to a fourth worldwide win of the season after taking a five-shot lead into the final round of the FedEx Open de France.
The Englishman held a one-shot advantage heading into the weekend at Le Golf National but pulled further ahead with a six-under 65 on Saturday afternoon, mixing seven birdies with his first bogey of the week.
Fitzpatrick – already a winner on the PGA Tour at the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic of New Orleans this year – moved to 19 under and with a commanding advantage over France’s Tom Vaillant.
Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, third in the Race to Dubai standings behind Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy, charged into a share of third after carding an eagle and seven birdies in a round-of-the-week 62.
Ryder Cup hopeful Kristoffer Reitan, Brandon Stone, Angel Hidalgo and Jeff Winther are also in the group six behind, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood withdrew ahead of the third round due to illness.
How Fitzpatrick extended his lead in France
Fitzpatrick quickly grabbed control by birdieing the first and two-putting from 40 feet to take advantage of the par-five third, with the former US Open champion adding another birdie at the sixth.
He failed to get up and down to save par from off the par-three eighth green but responded by birdieing the par-five next, then added three more after the turn – including from tap-in range at the par-four 13th – to pull further clear.
“Just another really, really solid day,” Fitzpatrick said. “I felt really comfortable out there. It’s always nice to get off to a nice start like that and then you can kind of kick on from there.
“I felt like that my game was pretty solid all day. I feel like I’m in a position that if I go and shoot a good round tomorrow, then obviously it makes it almost impossible to catch. But a long way to go and just take it hole by hole.”
Vaillant will play alongside Fitzpatrick in the final group after carding five birdies and a bogey during a third-round 67, while Chacarra’s 62 included a 25-foot eagle at the ninth and five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine.
“I’ve been playing unbelievable golf the first couple rounds,” Chacarra explained. “The putts didn’t want to go in and today we finally see some putts go in. So happy with a good moving day.”
Eugenio Chacarra is still in the running to top the season-long Race to Dubai standings
Winther stumbled with a double-bogey at the par-five 14th in his third-round 70, dropping him back to 13 under, while first-round leader Michael Kim slipped a further shot back after finishing his day with a double-bogey at the par-four last.
English duo Sam Bairstow and Joe Dean carded matching 66s to head into the final day on 11 under, while Fleetwood was due to head into the weekend on six under before his withdrawal.
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