CHAUDHURI KEEPS CONTROL AT THE CARRICK

Two 68s put him one clear of Irishman Murphy in The Motocaddy Masters

Neil Chaudhuri shot a second consecutive 68, three under par, to lead the Motocaddy Masters by one stroke on six under ahead of the final round of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour event at The Carrick on Loch Lomond.

Irishman Mark Murphy occupies second on the leaderboard thanks to a four-under-par 67, which propelled his tournament score to five under. Neil Fenwick (Dunbar Golf Club) is the leading Scot, his second-round 68 pushing him to third on three under.

Chaudhuri (www.specialisteyes.co.uk) began his round on the tenth tee with Murphy already in the clubhouse on five under. An eagle at 11 saw the Leicester man back to a tie at the top, but he dropped back with bogeys at 14 and 16. However his back nine, the usual front nine, saw him card four birdies with a bogey at six the only blot as he came home in 33.

“I certainly don’t feel I have mastered the course,” said the leader. “You can’t relax at any point because it is one tough shot after another.

“I have hit it pretty straight the last two days, which I think is absolutely the key around here. You have to hit fairways and greens because anything off line is a disaster.

“It got tough out there in the afternoon, quite fiery, and if it is like that again tomorrow then another 68 probably would be good enough, I would certainly take that right now.

“I will take tomorrow much the same as I have the last two days, I have been pretty good at taking it one shot at a time and not really focussing on the leaderboards and what other players are doing. I will focus on my own game, which will be easier said than done, but it is what I will try and do.

“It is beautiful here, the back nine is just stunning. It is a very difficult course so you can’t really admire the views but whenever I had to wait I relaxed and looked out on the Loch, it is a great view.”

Murphy shot five birdies and one bogey on his way to 67, and Fenwick will be rueing a triple bogey at 17. Having started on the first he looked set for a share of the lead on five under until he made seven at 17, though a birdie at the last saw him secure third place ahead of the last 18.

James Maw is fourth on two under, four behind Chaudhuri, with Max Williams and Sebastian Garcia Grout sharing fifth on one under.

The Motocaddy Masters concludes on Friday at The Carrick on Loch Lomond, with the final round to be filmed for a two-hour highlights package to be broadcast on Sky Sports on Tuesday, July 22. Spectator entry is free throughout the event and live scoring can be found at www.europrotour.com. 

Credit for main image to PGA