Tyrrell Hatton fires 62 to open up three-shot lead at Dunhill Links

By Keith Jackson

Sunday 9 October 2016 17:16, UK

Tyrrell Hatton will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after he fired a stunning 62 in glorious conditions on day three.

The young Englishman blitzed the Old Course at St Andrews for 10 birdies and kept a bogey off his card as he took control of the tournament on 17 under par, with overnight leader Ross Fisher his closest challenger following a solid 69 at Carnoustie.

Hatton raised hopes of a possible 59 when he raced to the turn in just 30 blows and picked up his fifth birdie in six holes at the 10th to move to seven under for the round.

A run of three pars effectively ended his chances of breaking 60, but he claimed the outright lead with another birdie at 14 and added a rare three at the 17th before closing with his 10th birdie of the day at the last to complete a career-best round as a professional.

"It's quite clearly the best round I've ever had, I've never got to double digits under par before, so I'm very pleased with that," said Hatton, who is currently ninth in the Race to Dubai standings. "Obviously I'd love to get a win so I'll try my best on Sunday. It's been a really consistent year so far, and it would be nice to have a good finish to the season.

"The Old Course hasn't generally been too kind to me in the past, but hopefully I can have another good day here tomorrow. I putted really well again, that was the big thing. I just kept the momentum going by holing some good birdie putts, and I holed a couple of good par putts as well. That kept things going, and I'm obviously really happy."

Fisher remained in contention at what is traditionally the toughest of the three courses in use for the star-studded pro-am event, the former Ryder Cup player turning in 35 and then enjoying a run of three birdies in four holes from the 12th.

He dropped his second shot of the round at the next, but he parred safely in to ensure a place in the final pairing alongside Hatton at St Andrews on Sunday, while Joakim Lagergren is a shot further adrift after a 69 at the Old Course, despite coming to grief at the notorious Road Hole and running up a double-bogey six.

The Swede is on 13 under alongside South African Richard Sterne, who fired a flawless seven-birdie 65 at St Andrews, a score later matched by Ryder Cup star Martin Kaymer.

The German made a quiet start before bursting into life with four birdies in five holes to cap an outward 32, and he reeled off three in a row from the 12th to surge to 12 under with compatriot Florian Fritsch, who took advantage of the benign conditions to fire a 65 at Carnoustie.

Fritsch began his round with three straight birdies from the 10th, and he carded four consecutive on the front nine to edge a shot ahead of home star Marc Warren, who mixed nine birdies with four bogeys in an entertaining 67, also at Carnoustie.

Kaymer's Ryder Cup team mate Rafa Cabrera Bello looked on course for something special when he birdied five of the first seven holes at St Andrews, but he played the rest of the round with 10 pars and a bogey as he settled for a 68.

Thomas Pieters, the star of the show for Europe at Hazeltine, looked fatigued from his efforts of last week as the young Belgian dropped four shots in three holes late in his round before a birdie at the last salvaged a 73 which left him 12 shots behind the leader.