‘I was pretty far down’ – Rasmus Hojgaard recovers from horror start to retain lead at Open de France

On a wild day of golf he is likely to remember for a long time, Rasmus Hojgaard showed a big-game temperament to retain his place at the top of the Open de France leaderboard.

It was his tournament to lose, and he did his best to try and do that with a wild opening to his third round.

On the following tee shot he found water once again and walked off that green one behind the lead.

“To be fair I was pretty far down,” Hojgaard said of his feelings after three holes. “It was pretty tough, but I had to try to tell myself that I played good the first two days and should not let it bother me.

“I just tried my best to stay in and hit some good shots.”

Such a shocking start could have crushed many players, but he steadied the ship and found a run of five birdies to establish a lead on the 18th hole.

After finding the rough off the tee, a lengthy conversation took place between player and caddie. Hojgaard wanted to go for glory – a long shot over the water – while his caddie favoured a lay-up.

With a three-shot lead, the lay-up was the sensible play and the caddie won the argument.

Hojgaard made a bogey but he will have a one-shot lead going into the final day.

“I was proud of myself,” Hojgaard said. “It was an annoying finish with a bogey on 18, it was a tough grind, but I am proud I made a few birdies along the way.”

Third round Leaderboard

• 1. Rasmus Hojgaard, 12-under
• 2. George Coetzee, 11-under
• 3. Thomas Pieters, 10-under
• 4. Paul Barjon, 10-under
• T5. Yannik Paul, nine-under
• T5. Antoine Rozner, nine-under
• T7. Jamie Donaldson, eight-under
• T7. Jordan Smith, eight-under

Thomas Pieters is looming large in Hojgaard’s mirrors, as the Belgian carded a 66 to get to 10-under.

“At the start of the week Adam (caddie) and I said we would play really boring golf,” Pieters said. “I thought yesterday was the most boring round of golf ever but to have one bogey in three rounds, pretty happy with that.”

News spreads quickly on golf courses, and Pieters had words of praise for Hojgaard.

“If you recover from that and are still leading the golf tournament, pretty impressed with that,” Pieters said.

George Coetzee will be the nearest challenger to Hojgaard on the final day after he birdied 18 to get to 11-under.

Sean Crocker is off the pace in Paris, but he will remember his trip after making a hole-in-one on the 11th.