Thomas Gögele is in a fantastic position to claim his maiden Legends Tour title after two brilliant rounds of 64 and 66 have taken him to -14 with 18 holes to play – one shot ahead of Bradley Dredge, five clear of Simon Griffiths and six better than a trio of players in tied-4th.
The leader started the day in a three-way tie at the top alongside Dredge and Alessandro Tadini on -8, and he moved into the solo lead with red numbers at the 1st, 6th and 7th. He had back-to-back gains at 12 and 13 before a gutsy 15-foot par save on 14 continued his momentum. A closing birdie at the 18th gave him outright top spot and completed a bogey-free 66 – the joint-best round of the day.
“I’m very happy,” said the man who’s climbed to 23rd on the MCB Road to Mauritius with a tied-3rd place finish and three top-15s in his last four starts. “Starting well is one thing, but carrying on is another thing. I maybe played even better than yesterday. I tried not to focus on what I did yesterday, but more on getting my game to a state where I wanted it to be, and it worked well.
“I had an incredibly good up-and-down on 14 following a very poor shot, but that was probably the only one. I holed a good putt for the par down the hill with a big break. So that kept me where I was, and I could finish off with another birdie.
“Obviously, I’m going into the final round leading. People might think I’ve got to win or whatever, but I just want to keep doing what I have been doing. I’m a very happy person. It doesn’t matter if I win tomorrow. But it would be nice if I do.”
Dredge, last year’s European Legends Cup winner, started on the 10th and picked up shots at the 11th and 12th. The Welshman played the next 13 holes in level par before romping home with birdies at his last three holes to shoot 67 and reach -13.
Simon Griffiths also had a 66 to climb into 3rd place on -9. He started on the 10th and racked up five birdies and an eagle at the 6th, with the only blemish being a bogey at his last hole. The Qualifying School graduate is 26th on the MCB Road to Mauritius so a good result this week would go a long way to guaranteeing his playing rights for next season.
You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a three-horse race in the final round, but James Kingston shot a 61 to take the title from seven shots back last year, so a charge from the pack is certainly possible.
Those chasers include a pair of Italians in a three-way tie for 4th at -8. Alessandro Tadini and Emanuele Canonica are carrying the home hopes after scores of 72 and 67 respectively. They’re joined by former Ryder Cup player Joakim Haeggman, who lifted the trophy in India earlier this season.
Eight players are at -7 – seven shots back – including two-time DP World Tour winner Brian Davis, former Ryder Cupper Niclas Fasth, former PGA Tour player Greg Owen and three-time Legends Tour champion David Shacklady.
