In a thrilling twist at the BMW International Open, Jordan Smith fired an impressive six-under-par 66, propelling him to the top of the leaderboard alongside Ewen Ferguson.
The final round promises to be an intense showdown as these two golfers lead a congested field.
Ewen Ferguson, struggled to maintain the momentum of his earlier rounds but still managed to secure a one-under 71.
Ferguson’s composed play, highlighted by crucial par saves, allowed him to retain his share of the lead at 14 under par.
However, it was Smith who stole the show, rebounding from an early bogey with five birdies and a spectacular eagle.
The only player to outperform Smith on day three was Sweden’s Jens Dantorp.
Dantorp carded an outstanding eight-under 64, tying with France’s Romain Langasque for third place, just one shot off the lead at 13 under par.
The final group at Golfclub München Eichenried featured Ferguson, Langasque, and Smith.
The Scot and the Frenchman were quick out of the gates, both birdieing the first hole.
As Langasque faltered, dropping a couple of shots, Ferguson maintained his composure with a series of solid pars. He finished the front nine at one under, mirroring his performance on the back nine with two birdies and two bogeys.
Smith, aiming for his third DP World Tour victory and second triumph on German soil, swiftly recovered from his only bogey of the day at the third hole.
Three consecutive birdies allowed him to close the gap on Ferguson. The pivotal moment came at the 12th hole when Smith sunk a dramatic 50-foot eagle putt, followed by a brilliant chip-in birdie at the next.
He capped off his round with a birdie at the par-four 14th, securing a flawless finish for a sweet 66.
This marks the seventh time Smith has held part of the 54-hole lead in his DP World Tour career and the second time at this event, after leading the 2019 BMW International Open heading into the final round.
In the chase group, Englishman Matthew Southgate shares fifth place on 12 under par with Australia’s David Micheluzzi and American Patrick Reed.
With such a tightly packed leaderboard, the final round of the BMW International Open promises excitement and intense competition.
Scores after round three:
202 J SMITH (ENG) 69 67 66, E FERGUSON (SCO) 67 64 71,
203 J DANTORP (SWE) 71 68 64, R LANGASQUE (FRA) 68 65 70,
204 D MICHELUZZI (AUS) 66 70 68, M SOUTHGATE (ENG) 71 65 68, P REED (USA) 67 69 68,
206 R HOSHINO (JPN) 70 67 69,
207 R FISHER (ENG) 69 70 68, J DEAN (ENG) 68 70 69, M BESARD (BEL) 72 66 69, T AIKEN (RSA) 72 68 67, T BJ?RN (DEN) 69 68 70, J MORRISON (ENG) 69 72 66, C SYME (SCO) 70 67 70,
208 T LEWIS (ENG) 72 66 70, J GUERRIER (FRA) 73 64 71, J WINTHER (DEN) 69 68 71, B WIESBERGER (AUT) 69 67 72, F CELLI (ITA) 71 70 67,
209 J DE BRUYN (GER) 70 70 69, F LACROIX (FRA) 73 67 69, J SVENSSON (SWE) 71 68 70, B STONE (RSA) 71 69 69, B ROBINSON THOMPSON (ENG) 70 68 71, S CROCKER (USA) 71 67 71, A WILSON (ENG) 72 69 68,
210 A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP) 71 68 71, G WIEBE (USA) 74 66 70, J DAVIDSON (WAL) 72 68 70, T PIETERS (BEL) 69 70 71, R FOX (NZL) 69 71 70, K NAKAJIMA (JPN) 69 69 72, A JOHNSTON (ENG) 70 67 73, F ZANOTTI (PAR) 71 70 69, D FICHARDT (RSA) 68 69 73, M KORHONEN (FIN) 71 70 69, J PAUL (GER) 71 70 69,
211 M SCHMID (GER) 70 69 72, F KENNEDY (ENG) 67 74 70, C HILL (SCO) 69 68 74, H LI (CHN) 70 67 74, M KAYMER (GER) 69 72 70,
212 J KO (FRA) 69 70 73, G GREEN (MAS) 71 69 72, M ELVIRA (ESP) 71 68 73, D HUIZING (NED) 70 70 72, L NEMECZ (AUT) 70 67 75, M MANASSERO (ITA) 75 66 71, U COUSSAUD (FRA) 71 70 71, L DE JAGER (RSA) 70 71 71, M SCHWAB (AUT) 74 67 71, J GIRRBACH (SUI) 71 70 71,
213 S JAMIESON (SCO) 71 69 73, J GUMBERG (USA) 68 72 73, J LUITEN (NED) 68 73 72,
214 R PARATORE (ITA) 71 70 73,
215 C JARVIS (RSA) 67 72 76, L DONALD (ENG) 71 69 75, S KJELDSEN (DEN) 69 71 75, J VEERMAN (USA) 72 69 74,
216 K JOHANNESSEN (NOR) 70 70 76, F SCHOTT (GER) 70 71 75,
217 E PEPPERELL (ENG) 69 71 77,
222 G FORREST (SCO) 70 71 81,
