Tapio Pulkkanen displayed stellar form, carding a remarkable five-under-par 67 to secure a two-stroke lead at the Real Club Sevilla Golf for the final round of the Challenge de EspaƱa. His 12-under-par total puts him ahead of English contender Jamie Rutherford.
Despite a minor setback with a bogey on the second hole, Pulkkanen swiftly rebounded with a birdie on the third.
He continued to showcase his prowess with consecutive gains on the eighth, ninth, 13th, and 14th holes, closing the day with another birdie on the 18th.
Reflecting on his performance, Pulkkanen acknowledged the shifting conditions, noting softer greens that responded more to spin.
“It was a good round today,” he said. With his eyes set on victory, he remains confident in his game plan and looks forward to the challenges of the final round.
Pulkkanen’s strong showing in the Road to Mallorca season, with three top-20 finishes in his last four starts, positions him well for contention.
As he vies for his first professional win in seven years, the Finn remains focused on his strategy and hopes for a successful outcome.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen joins a competitive mix, sharing third place with a pack of contenders including Spaniards Joel Moscatel and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, as well as French duo FĆ©lix Mory and SĆ©bastien Gros.
With the stakes high, the final round promises gripping action as Pulkkanen, Rutherford, and Moscatel tee off at 10:00 am local time, aiming to secure victory in the Challenge de EspaƱa.
Scores after round four:
204 T PULKKANEN (FIN) 68 69 67,
206 J RUTHERFORD (ENG) 69 68 69,
207 J MOSCATEL (ESP) 68 71 68, A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP) 70 69 68, F MORY (FRA) 70 67 70, R NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) 69 68 70, S GROS (FRA) 71 64 72,
208 A HALVORSEN (NOR) 69 68 71, M COUVRA (FRA) 70 67 71,
209 B HEBERT (FRA) 70 72 67, R WILLIAMS (RSA) 69 71 69, P BOVARI (ITA) 74 66 69, P KATICH (GER) 71 68 70, N LEMKE (SWE) 73 65 71,
210 M LINDBERG (SWE) 74 70 66, L VACARISAS (ESP) 73 71 66, D HORSEY (ENG) 73 70 67, N KRISTENSEN (DEN) 69 73 68, R SANTOS (POR) 69 70 71, E WALKER (SCO) 69 70 71,
211 J SENIOR (ENG) 74 70 67, J LAGERGREN (SWE) 74 70 67, B ?KESSON (SWE) 71 72 68, G DE LEO (ITA) 69 74 68, B EASTON (RSA) 72 70 69, S HUTSBY (ENG) 68 74 69, J DEAN (ENG) 74 68 69, H BROWN (DEN) 70 71 70, F KENNEDY (ENG) 71 68 72, C BARROW (ENG) 69 70 72,
212 A ZEMMER (ITA) 71 73 68, A PLANT (ENG) 75 69 68, A QUIROS (ESP) 71 71 70, Q VIDAL (ESP) 71 71 70, B ROBINSON THOMPSON (ENG) 70 71 71, J DAVIDSON (WAL) 68 71 73, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 71 67 74,
213 R KLEU (SUI) 74 70 69, R ROUSSEL (FRA) 75 69 69, J HILLEARD (ENG) 70 73 70, A LEVY (FRA) 71 72 70, R MCGOWAN (ENG) 71 71 71, H MAGNUS (ISL) 72 69 72, J LEE (USA) 70 71 72, J SAINZ (ESP) 69 72 72, S MAZZOLI (ITA) 71 70 72,
214 C GUICHARD (FRA) 72 72 70, T ED?N (SWE) 73 71 70, A CHESTERS (ENG) 70 73 71, J DE BRUYN (GER) 70 73 71, M HONKALA (FIN) 70 72 72, E ROUSAUD (ESP) 72 70 72, R ENOCH (WAL) 68 73 73,
215 J FLOYDD (ENG) 74 70 71, C LINDH (SWE) 72 72 71, G BOURDY (FRA) 69 75 71, P PINEAU (FRA) 70 73 72, W BESSELING (NED) 74 69 72,
216 O LINDELL (FIN) 73 71 72, D YOUNG (SCO) 73 71 72, C WOOD (ENG) 70 74 72, J PARRY (ENG) 71 73 72, J ANDERSEN (DEN) 72 71 73, R MULLARNEY (IRL) 71 70 75, J G?TH-RASMUSSEN (DEN) 68 73 75,
217 J ALLAN (ENG) 72 71 74, L KEUNEN (NED) 71 71 75,
218 D MCELROY (NIR) 70 73 75, P ANGLES (ESP) 68 75 75, D BERNA MANZANARES (ESP) 69 74 75, R LUMSDEN (SCO) 71 71 76,
219 M MARTIN (ENG) 76 68 75, O HUNDEB?LL (DEN) 70 74 75,
220 B MARTIN (ESP) 71 73 76, L RUUSKA (FIN) 74 70 76,
221 R WATTEL (FRA) 70 74 77,
**
145 D FOOS (GER) 72 73, J BERRY (ENG) 74 71, H TOWNSEND (SWE) 72 73, M STEWART (SCO) 71 74, C BRING (DEN) 72 73, ? ?TIRN (SLO) 75 70, M GRADECKI (POL) 74 71, C BLOMSTRAND (SWE) 70 75, G BOYD (ENG) 74 71, J MCDONALD (SCO) 71 74, W NIENABER (RSA) 73 72, J FREIBURGHAUS (SUI) 72 73, C HOWIE (SCO) 70 75, D NAIDOO (RSA) 71 74, K REITAN (NOR) 72 73,
146 L JOHNSTON (SCO) 73 73, T VAHLENKAMP (GER) 73 73, O GUILLAMOUNDEGUY (FRA) 73 73, J SALE (FRA) 73 73, O FARR (WAL) 71 75,
147 O GILLBERG (SWE) 72 75, T GOUVEIA (POR) 71 76, M HAMMER (GER) 73 74, R KARLBERG (SWE) 74 73, G BLOOR (ENG) 75 72, T SHADBOLT (ENG) 73 74, M GIBOUDOT (FRA) 73 74, P L?NGFORS (SWE) 73 74,
148 G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP) 69 79, E CUARTERO BLANCO (ESP) 75 73, C BRAEUNIG (GER) 77 71, R HOLMBERG (SWE) 72 76, R KAKKO (FIN) 73 75, V GARCIA BROTO (ESP) 68 80, A ETCHENIQUE (FRA) 77 71, J PASTOR (ESP) 73 75, M GILARDI (SUI) 76 72,
149 M MADSEN (DEN) 79 70, B RUSCH (SUI) 73 76, C PURCELL (IRL) 75 74, S FERNANDEZ (ESP) 75 74, A AYORA (ESP) 71 78, C PIGEM (ESP) 74 75, T TETAK (SVK) 77 72, G HURLEY (IRL) 77 72, R THOMPSON (ENG) 76 73, A MAGUIRE (IRL) 71 78, J GOUGH (ENG) 74 75, J CALDWELL (NIR) 74 75, S BROHOLT LIND (DEN) 75 74, K VAN DER WEELE (NED) 75 74,
150 P ORIOL (ESP) 78 72, V PASTOR (ESP) 74 76, L MASAVEU (AM) (ESP) 74 76, O FISHER (ENG) 72 78, L VAN MEIJEL (NED) 74 76, G KRISTJANSSON (ISL) 76 74, A BOASSON (ISL) 76 74, J MAICAS (ESP) 72 78,
151 J PARDO BENITEZ (ESP) 79 72, B VIRTO (ESP) 77 74, C O’ROURKE (IRL) 77 74, M BARGENDA (POL) 75 76, Y SCHUETZ (GER) 79 72, M SCHMITT (GER) 77 74, J MURPHY (IRL) 78 73, A CA?IZARES (ESP) 76 75,
152 G STAL (FRA) 73 79, A AGUILERA (ESP) 75 77,
153 C KNIPES (ENG) 77 76, G MASON (ENG) 78 75,
154 M POWER (IRL) 76 78, D BORDA (ESP) 74 80,
155 A ABREU (POR) 77 78, M QUIROS (ESP) 75 80,
156 J ZUSKA (CZE) 77 79, L CIANCHETTI (ITA) 74 82,
157 V LOPES (POR) 81 76,
**
OUT M WARREN (SCO) 74 RT, A WILSON (ENG) 75 WD,
