Jorge Campillo hung tough for a smart 4-under-par 32-38=70 in the third round of the Qatar Masters which earned a 14-under 199 total and a one-shot lead over David Drysdale and Jeff Winter at Education City GC in Doha.
Until the end of last year the Spaniard had childhood friend Borja Simo on his bag, but, when Simo returned to the family business, former Challenge Tour player Jesus Legarrea stepped in and it’s taken a while for the pair to bed in. In fact, Campillo hasn’t had a top 30 all season so this is a huge opportunity to transform the campaign – and in some style, maybe, with a second European Tour win. He started from the tenth on Thursday and made an early bogey at his third hole, the 12th. He would make another bogey there in R3, with a three-putt, but it was his first in 45 holes. A two-putt birdie at par-5 13th was his immediate response, however he gave the shot back at the 15th. Before then it had been plain-sailing. He ticked three-in-a-row at the fifth, sixth and seventh, slam-dunked a 35’0" birdie putt at the ninth and chipped-in for another red number at the tenth. This is his third experience of leading after 54 holes; both previous times he finished second.