Ángel Hidalgo Ties Record with 12 Birdies at the Irish Open
STRAFFAN, Ireland – Ángel Hidalgo delivered an impressive performance in the third round of the Irish Open, tying a European Tour record with 12 birdies and climbing to second place with a score of 63 strokes, nine under par. Meanwhile, Frenchman Adrien Saddier remains at the top of the leaderboard after a round of 68. The crowd favorite, Rory McIlroy, also remains in contention after signing a bogey-free round of 68 strokes. The world number 2 is four strokes behind Saddier, who has accumulated a total of 201 strokes, 15 under par, in the tournament held at The K Club. McIlroy shares fourth position with Joakim Lagergren, who lost the lead after a round of 73 strokes. Lagergren’s day, marked by inconsistency, included four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. Alfredo Garcia-Heredia is in third position, three strokes behind the leader, after achieving two eagles in his round of 67 strokes. Hidalgo’s outstanding performance included seven consecutive birdies, finishing one stroke behind Saddier. The Spaniard became the ninth player to achieve a dozen birdies in a single round at a European Tour event.The only other player to achieve 12 birdies at The K Club was Darren Clarke, who set a course record with a round of 60 strokes at the 1999 European Open.“I really felt at times that I was playing on the PlayStation, to be honest. Every shot went straight to the pin,” Hidalgo stated.
Ángel Hidalgo
