Eugenio Chacarra took control of the Open d’Italia on Saturday, shooting a third-round 65 at Circolo Golf Torino to reach 17 under par and open a two-shot lead. The Sunday final group will start with Chacarra, Joaquín Niemann and Matt Wallace, giving the finish a tight look despite the gap on the board.
Chacarra’s move mattered because he has already won the KLM Open in Amsterdam earlier in the month, and a second title of the season would push him further up the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World. He is already sixth in that race, which is why every shot in the final round carries more than just one tournament score.
Niemann stayed close enough to keep the pressure on. He carded an even-par 71 and sits tied for second at 15 under par, while Wallace matched him there with a 67. That leaves Chacarra with room, but not comfort, entering Sunday.
The chase behind them is still crowded. Nicolai von Dellinghausen and Ángel Ayora are tied for fourth at 13 under par, Dylan Frittelli is sixth, and Jeff Winther and Richie Ramsay share seventh at 11 under par. Tom McKibbin, meanwhile, kept his own run moving with a second straight 68 and stayed just outside the top 10 as he looks for his first top-10 finish on the DP World Tour since last year’s Open de Espana.
The weather has also forced the tournament into a different rhythm. Predicted afternoon thunderstorms have led to adjusted format and tee times for Sunday, which makes the final round less straightforward than the leaderboard alone suggests. Chacarra now has the lead, the form and the chance to turn one hot month into a bigger statement, but Niemann and Wallace are close enough that the last day at the Open d’Italia still feels wide open.
