Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson remains the man to catch heading into the final round of the Soudal Open after posting a 69 despite wet conditions in Belgium.
Ferguson began the day with a three-shot advantage and, aside from being briefly caught by John Parry around the turn, was in control for most of the day at a rain-swept Rinkven International GC.
A 13-under total sees Ferguson go into the final round two clear of Parry, who carded a 67, with Dutchman Darius van Driel third on nine under after signing for a 69.
Conor Purcell shot a third round 70 to move to four under par and sits in a share of 22nd place going into Sunday's final round.
The Malahide man's one-under round included three birdies and two bogeys, and he will tee off at 10:25am (Irish time) on Sunday, playing alongside France's Ugo Coussaud.
"To be honest with you my range session was awful, it was so cold, my hands were freezing and I was hardly finding the middle of the face," said Ferguson, who extended his bogey-free streak to 41 holes before dropping a first shot of the week at the sixth.
"I was thinking it was going to be a long day – which it was – but I think when you get out there and feel the kind of vibe off the people around you, and I was playing with Marco (Penge) who’s a good friend, and just trying to enjoy it even though the weather was bad.
"I just hung in there really. It wasn’t pretty, I was teeing my ball down, squishing drivers trying to find the fairway. Nothing pretty to watch but Saturday, just keep yourself in there.
"I love grinding and making a par, it’s a nice feeling. I’ve done so well today just keeping my head on a day where you could really let it go."
Parry also admitted it had been an attritional day.
"It was tough," he said. "There were a lot more four irons into the greens today – which wasn’t really the case over the first two days – but I felt like I did the hard part well, which was getting from tee to green.
"That made the rest of the day a bit easier."
