In a gripping display of skill and resilience, Robin Williams has surged into a commanding three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Kaskáda Golf Challenge.
The South African golfer is on the brink of clinching his first Challenge Tour title, having navigated challenging conditions with remarkable poise to post a three-under-par round of 68, bringing his total to 14 under par for the week.
Williams, at just 22 years old, demonstrated maturity beyond his years as he handled the swirling winds in Brno.
His performance on moving day was characterized by birdies on the sixth, seventh, and ninth holes, pushing him into the lead.
Despite a bogey on the 12th, he quickly regained his composure, responding with a birdie on the 15th to re-establish his three-shot cushion.
Reflecting on his round, Williams shared his strategy for overcoming the tough conditions:
“It was really tough today with the wind. I knew I just had to keep it in play and stay patient out there, which I managed to do,” he said.
“The first two days didn’t have much wind and the course was soft so I think that’s why you saw a lot of the low scores, but today, when I woke up, I was surprised with the wind and thought it was going to be a challenge.”
Drawing from his experience growing up in the UK and playing on challenging links courses, Williams approached the round with a pragmatic mindset.
“I’ve played enough in these conditions growing up in the UK, playing some of the tough links golf courses, so I just used my experience of that.”
“I said to myself at the start of the round that anything under par I would’ve taken.”
Entering the tournament ranked 23rd on the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings, Williams is poised for a breakthrough victory.
As he prepares for the final round, he remains focused and motivated. “This is what you practice for, to put yourself in this position on Sunday in order to win a golf tournament.”
“I know there’s a lot of golf still to play and there’s a lot of guys that are going to try to catch me tomorrow.”
“I’m playing some good golf though, so as long as I keep my head down, we’ll see where we end up.”
Hot on his heels is Englishman Ben Schmidt, who delivered a flawless six-under-par round of 65 to surge into contention.
Schmidt’s bogey-free round showcased his potential threat, setting the stage for an exciting final day.
Meanwhile, Irishman Conor Purcell produced a sensational seven-under-par round of 64, propelling him into a tie for third place at ten under par.
He is joined by Dane Hamish Brown and Germany’s Jannik de Bruyn, the overnight leader.
A further shot back, in sixth place, are Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, Spaniard David Borda, and Portugal’s Tomas Gouveia.
The final round promises intense competition, with the leading trio teeing off at 10:35 am local time.
Williams will be under significant pressure as he seeks to fend off his challengers and secure his maiden victory at the Kaskáda Golf Challenge.
