Duo battle for overdue success in Canaries
John Bickerton and Stuart Little, who have played 430 European tour events between them without winning once, are first and second going into the final round of the Abama Canaries Open in Tenerife.
The English pair are seven under and six under par respectively after Little double-bogeyed the final hole.
Bickerton, who thought a three-putt bogey six on the 17th would cost him top spot, has been a runner-up five times in a career going back to 1993.
At 118th on this season’s Order of Merit the 35-year-old from Droitwich needs a top five finish tomorrow to save his place on the tour, but said: “Hopefully I’ll just be able to focus on trying to win. It would be so nice to break the mould.”
Little, who made his tour debut 18 years ago, has no worries about his card, but has never finished higher than sixth in any tournament.
Joint third on five under are two more England players, Simon Hurd and Mark Roe, and Spain’s Jose Manuel Carriles, who had a best-of-the-day 66 in the rainy conditions.
Roe is playing his 500th tour event and at 117th on the money list can avoid a return to the qualifying school with a top five finish as well.
