Simon Thornton believes he has ‘nothing to lose and everything to gain’ heading into the final round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
The 41-year-old dropped back to level for the week with a +2 round of 74, bogeying the last on a frustrating day.
None of the five locals staged anything of a surge up the leaderboard but Thornton was brimming with confidence when he spoke to Off The Ball’s Will O’Callaghan.
“I’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Thornton said.
“It doesn’t really matter if I shoot four-over or four-under, I’m just here enjoying myself and seeing where we go tomorrow.
“I’ll be firing it at flags where possible and trying to roll the putts a bit better than what I did today.
“It’s a bonus to get to the event never mind getting to the weekend [level par].
“I didn’t play very well today. I had a few chances from nine and didn’t take any of them. I didn’t putt very well today.
“A couple of loose tee-shots cost me a couple of bogeys coming in but overall I’m happy enough.
“It was a goal at the beginning of the week to finish in red numbers. If you can shoot under par for four rounds here with the standard of golf it takes do that – it’s pretty good.
“The conditions were a little bit of a challenge. In between the showers it was perfect. There’s no excuses. The conditions aren’t really changing the way the golf course plays.
“The umbrella was up for about 10 minutes but I don’t think it’s going to change things.”
James Hopper
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