Three dropped shots in the space of two holes has cost South Australian Wade Ormsby a top-10 finish at the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco.

Beginning the final round tied for fourth and three shots off the lead, Orsmby made bogeys at 2 and 3 before picking one back up at 8 to make the turn at 1-over 37.

Searching for some momentum to stay in touch, disaster struck when Ormsby made double-bogey at the par-4 10th and when he compounded that with a further bogey at 11 dropped out of contention, signing for a 4-over 77 to finish tied for 14th, Spain’s Jorge Campillo breaking through for his first European Tour title in his 229th start.

For New South Welshman Dimi Papadatos it was the third round that prevented him from a top-10 finish.

Earning a European Tour start courtesy of his finish on the 2018 Challenge Tour rankings, Papadatos sat inside the top-10 through 36 holes but dropped down the leaderboard with a third round of 5-over 78, like Ormsby, dropping three shots across 10 and 11.

He roared back up the leaderboard with a birdie blitz on the front-9 of his final round, three late bogeys enough for a 1-under 72 and a tie for 21st.

An eagle-birdie finish to his third round had European Tour rookie Jake McLeod in the hunt for a strong finish on Sunday but four bogeys in the space of five holes on his front-9 led to a 4-over 77 and a tie for 30th.

The European Challenge Tour recommenced their season at the Turkish Airlines Challenge where Victorian Ben Eccles failed to qualify for the weekend, Scotland’s Connor Syme victorious in a playoff.

European Tour
Trophee Hassan II
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco
T14        Wade Ormsby                   74-70-70-77—291            €33,893
T21        Dimitrios Papadatos          70-72-78-72—292            €27,875
T30        Jake McLeod                     72-78-67-77—294            €21,125
MC         Nick Cullen                         74-78—152
MC         Deyen Lawson                   75-77—152
MC         Josh Geary                         78-75—153
MC         Jason Scrivener                 74-81—155
MC         Ewan Porter                       73-86—159
WD        Andrew Dodt                      73

European Challenge Tour
Turkish Airlines Challenge
Samsun Golf Club, Atakum, Samsun, Turkey
MC         Ben Eccles           72-70—142

South Australian Wade Ormsby has finished the third round of the ISPS HANDA Vic Open at the top of the leader board at 15-under the card despite turbulent afternoon conditions.

Intermittent wind and rain showered the final groups; however it was Ormsby who was able to maintain his composure to finish on 2-under 70 for the day, with a birdie on the 18^th sweetening the round.

“I made a bit of a meal of it straight out of the box,” said Ormsby, who put himself on the back foot early with a double bogey on the second hole.

“It was just tough out there. Warming up we knew it was going to be a really tough day, trying to find a way to keep the ball down.

“I just kept grinding really; that’s all we can do in weather like that.

“You’re going to hit a lot of bad shots but you need to recover a lot and I did that quite well, so I’m happy.”

Feeling confident ahead of the final round, Ormsby believes the weather will make all the difference on Sunday morning.

“I feel good, I’m pretty relaxed this week,” he continued.

“I had a tough week last week, so I’m trying to enjoy myself a little bit more this week, so I’m doing that so far.

“We’ll see what it’s like in the morning and I’ll go out there and try my best.”

New South Welshman Matthew Stieger also defied wild, wet and windy conditions at 13^th Beach Golf Links to record seven birdies and elevate his tournament total to 13-under.

Playing in the morning field and finishing his third round at 7-under the card before the overnight leaders had even teed off, Stieger played in heavy rain before strong winds took over and still remained bogey-free.

“We got hammered with the rain for about three or four holes there, so it was really good to get through that stretch, but no bogeys today, which is really nice,” said Stieger.

“I just stuck to my game plan out there.

“I sort of had to hit away from a few flags because they were tucked a little bit, but made really good use of the ones that I could go at.

“Coming from St. Michael’s, I played a lot of golf in the wind so I actually love these types of conditions.”

England’s Callum Shinkwin also fired 6-under the card in the morning for a total of 13-under, allowing him to join the front-runners at the top of the scoreboard, tied for second place.

Queensland’s Brad Kennedy had an even par third round, finishing at 12-under the card aided by his run of 41 bogey-free holes.

Round two leaders Jason Scrivener and Nick Flanagan struggled through the third round, each posting multiple bogeys to finish at 10-under.

Wind is expected to lessen for Sunday’s final round at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open, where 36 players will tee it up at 13^th Beach Golf Links after a third round cut was made at 7-under the card.

The final round of the ISPS HANDA Vic Open will tee off at 8.27am with the leaders; Ormsby, Stieger and Shinkwin on course at 12.35pm.

Wade Ormsby was one of only 19 players to break par on Sunday at the Indian Open as the field struggled with the tricky DLF GC layout for the second straight year.

The reigning Hong Kong Open champion signed for a 2-under 70 to climb 12 places on the leaderboard and ultimately finish T25 at one of the most mentally demanding tournaments of the year.

One of eight Australians in the field, Ormsby was one of four to survive the cut but almost nobody escaped the New Delhi course completely unscathed.

Ormsby was among those whose struggles came Saturday, his 78 one of 40 rounds of 75 or worse on a day when 13 players failed to break 80.

After opening with 71-72 to be in a share of 25th position it was a disheartening score but hitting back with a final round 70 showed great determination.

Jason Scrivener was next best among the Australians at 7-over and T40 ahead of David Gleeson (T53) and Marcus Fraser (T60).

Fraser was one of the few in the field not to post a double bogey over the first three days as he signed for rounds of 73-73-76 but the course took its revenge on Sunday.

He made a double at his first hole of the day, the 10th, though righted the ship with seven straight pars before making a birdie at the 18th.

That, however, was the only highlight for the day. He endured three doubles in the next nine holes on top of three other dropped shots on his way to a 9-over 81.

Terry Pilkadaris continued his ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open form in the opening round with an impressive 69 to be inside the top-10 but faltered on day two with a 79 to miss the cut by one.

Jason Norris missed the cut by two shots while Andrew Dodt and Scott Hend were both outside the top-100 after 36 holes.

Wade Ormsby prevailed from a dramatic final day in Fanling to claim his first European Tour title at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The Australian entered the fourth round a shot behind SSP Chawrasia and when he turned in level-par 34, he was four behind his Indian rival.

The long-time leader then triple-bogeyed the ninth to bring a host of players back into contention and Ormsby held a two-shot lead as he stood on the 18th fairway at Hong Kong Golf Club.

In the group behind, Rafa Cabrera Bello birdied the 17th to pile on the pressure and a closing three-putt bogey from Ormsby left the duo in a tie at 11 under.

Cabrera Bello then put his second shot in the bunker at the front of the final green and when he failed to get up and down, the title was Ormsby’s.

Alexander Björk, Paul Peterson and Julian Suri finished alongside Cabrera Bello at ten under, a shot clear of Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood who got the defence of his title off to a good start.

Ormsby played his first season on the European Tour in 2004 after coming through the Qualifying School and he has done that four times since in a career that has also seen him struggle with injury at times.

A fifth-placed finish at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation ensured he eventually kept his card in comfortable fashion last season and the 37 year old will now have an exemption until 2020 after winning at the 264th time of asking.

"It means a lot to me," said a tearful Ormsby. "I’ve played a lot of golf in Europe, everywhere, and a few bumps along the way but it’s pretty cool to get a win this late in your career.

"I didn’t think it would take this long but first one’s always pretty special. I said at the start of last year, I want to play a Major and win a tournament before my career is done so I’ve done both those things this year. I’m really happy about that.

"A few of my are mates over there so that makes it pretty special, having mates around makes it all the more special. I probably won’t sleep too much on that flight on the way to Oz tonight."

For Cabrera Bello it was a second season of heartbreak on the last at this event after Sam Brazel birdied the 18th to consign him to a runners-up finish 12 months ago.

Ormsby birdied the third and bogeyed the fifth on the front nine but Chawrasia – who had led since Thursday morning – looked to be in cruise control as he missed a host of chances while also making gains on the second, third and eighth.

His triple-bogey blew the contest wide open, however, and all of a sudden Swede Björk was in top spot after turning in 30 with five birdies and a bogey.

Ormsby was two shots behind at that point but he birdied the tenth and 14th to share the lead with Björk and Suri, who had made five birdies including a monster putt on the 12th.

The American dropped out of the lead as he failed to get up and down from a bunker on the 17th and after missing from seven feet on the 16th, Ormsby put his approach to the next to five feet to hit the front and set up the dramatic finale.

Spaniard Cabrera Bello was one over for his round at the turn but birded the 11th and 13th, while America’s Peterson birdied the fifth, tenth and 13th.

Englishman Fleetwood had 17 pars and a single bogey on the 17th in his round to sit a shot ahead of four-time winner at this event Miguel Ángel Jiménez who carded a stunning 63.

The 53 year old became the oldest winner in European Tour history here in the first staging of the 2014 season – a record he a would break again in that campaign – and he continued to roll back the years.

The Spaniard birdied the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, tenth, 16th and 17th to sit alongside Chawrasia and American Micah Lauren Shin at eight under.

Via: European Tour