• Trophee Hassan II, Round Three

Resilient Davies on course to retain title

Rhys Davies has his eyes on the prize © Getty Images

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Rhys Davies's quest to defend his title is in rude health after overcoming a sluggish start to post a four-under 68 at the Trophée Hassan II and earn a share of the lead with England's David Horsey after three rounds.

Davies, who like Horsey is aiming for his second European Tour title, was in dire straits early on, bogeying three of the first six holes but the Welshman responded with eight birdies to finish the day alongside Horsey on 10-under par.

"So far, so good," said Davies. "I've played pretty well the last few days and I'm pretty happy to be at the top of the leaderboard. I'm looking forward to a good battle tomorrow. It would mean a lot to get that second win under my belt. Every time I go out there I aim to win the tournament and when you've got a chance to compete, I really enjoy it. And I've got that chance tomorrow so I can't wait."

BMW International Open winner Horsey hit the turn in 32 after three birdies and a sublime eagle at the par-four sixth. He picked up another two shots coming in but showed he was human with his second bogey of the day on 17. Still, a 67 moves him into an enviable position heading into Sunday's final round.

"I got off to a great start by holing my second shot on the sixth (an eight iron from 130 yards) and then birdied the seventh to really get myself into contention," he said. "The birdie chances dried up a little bit on the back nine but then I did manage to chip-in for birdie on 15.

"I was hoping to pick up another shot on the 17th but that's the game isn't it - you hole out from 130 yards on one hole and then you take four to get down from 20 yards on another - that's golf. Should be great tomorrow. Rhys is a great player and the defending champion so he is going to be very tough to beat but hopefully I can play my own game and give him a run for his money."

Jaco Van Zyl put his disappointing second-round 73 behind him with an error-free 65 on the Golf Du Palais Royal. The South African's game deserted him, albeit in tricky conditions, on the Golf De L'Ocean on Friday but he reined in his attacking tendencies for a more conservative approach and he was rewarded by signing for a bogey-free 65 that included seven birdies.

Peter Lawrie and Robert Rock's title aspirations appear dead in the water after both men failed to hit sub-70 scores. Lawrie, so brilliant in his opening-round 64, came crashing back to earth with a 76 on day two and he never really looked like rediscovering his best form, despite two early birdies. Back-to-back double bogeys left a nasty taste in the mouth and, although he rallied with consecutive birdies at 10 and 11, the Irishman has a lot to do on three-under par.

Rock, meanwhile, was looking to build on a promising 68 but five bogeys prevented him from doing so and a discouraging 74 leaves him tied for 27th with Lawrie.

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