Zander Lombard surged into a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Soudal Open after a brilliant closing stretch of three consecutive birdies secured a third-round 66 and moved him to 18 under par. The South African, chasing his maiden DP World Tour title, briefly shared the lead with compatriot MJ Daffue after a shaky middle section that included a bogey at the 14th. But Lombard responded superbly, birdieing the final three holes to pull clear at Rinkven International Golf Club.
Daffue carded a 65 to set the clubhouse target at 15 under, while Jacob Skov Olesen, Ben Schmidt and Tom Vaillant were tied at 14 under. Lombard, who returned from a seven-month injury layoff after rupturing his ACL and regained his card through Qualifying School, said he was proud of the way he recovered from mistakes and stayed focused under pressure as he aims to complete a remarkable comeback victory.