Jesper Svensson is not trembling with his sleeves yet during the Open de France at Le Golf National outside Paris.
After half the competition, the Swede led together with Dan Bradbury from England and Belgian Thomas Detry, and the trio thus went out in the lead ball on Saturday.
But then the Swede shifted into extra gear and made an early move.
Four birdies on the opening six holes paved the way for a solo lead with a small margin down to the rest of the field.
At one point, Svensson led by three strokes, but after the third day was completed, the lead had shrunk to one stroke. The 28-year-old went around in 67 strokes during the third round, and with a total score of 13 under par, he leads the competition by one stroke ahead of the final round.
"I hit the ball really well all day, gave myself good opportunities and made good putts. Some putts slipped by, hopefully they'll go in tomorrow," says Svensson according to AP.
If Svensson wins, it will be his second victory during his first season on the European Tour. A victory not only means that he will climb to third place in the total standings but also that he will almost certainly secure a spot on the PGA Tour next season.
Simon Forsström, who started the day in a shared fourth place, played steadily. The 35-year-old went two under par and lies in a shared seventh place (ten under total) ahead of the final round.
The top ten players on the European Tour, who are not already eligible to play on the PGA Tour, at the end of the season will receive eligibility on the PGA Tour next season.
Before the Open de France:
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Thriston Lawrence, South Africa.
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Rasmus Højgaard, Denmark.
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Matteo Manassero, Italy.
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Niklas Nørgaard, Denmark.
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Jesper Svensson, Sweden.
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Rikuya Hoshino, Japan.
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Sebastian Söderberg, Sweden.
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Romain Langasque, France.
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Tom McKibbin, Northern Ireland.
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Guido Migliozzi, Italy.
