Strafan, Ireland – Angel Hidalgo matched a single-round record on the European Tour with a 9-under 63 in the third round of the Irish Open on Saturday, taking second place, with France’s Adrien Sadie taking the tournament lead with 68.
Fan favorite Rory McIlroy also stayed in the fray after the Northern Irish hit a bogeyless 68. Second in the world is four strokes behind Sadia’s total of 15 under 201 at K Club.
McIlroy is tied for fourth with Jokim Lagergren after the Swedes shot 73 and lost their one-night lead. His inconsistent round included four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia was third in three shots after making two eagles at 67.
On Hidalgo’s big day, seven birdies were included in a row to finish one stroke behind Saddier. The Spaniard became the ninth player to make 12 birdies in one round at a European tour event.
“To be honest, I really felt it for a while the moment I was playing on the PlayStation. All the shots were directly on the pin,” Hidalgo said.
The only other player who made 12 birdies at the K Club was Darren Clark who did so while establishing a course record of 60 at the 1999 European Open.
