Carlos Del Moral set a European Tour record of just 20 putts in storming to a three-shot lead with a nine-under-par 63 in the third round of the Madeira Islands golf open on Saturday.
Del Moral birdied his closing three holes in benign and very hot conditions to move to 17-under for the tournament on the mountainous Santo da Serra course.
The Valencia-born Del Moral, seeking a first win on the European Tour, made nine single putts over the outward nine holes.
The tour confirmed his round included the lowest number of putts for 18 holes, and came a week after the European Tour celebrated its 40th anniversary.
“I putted beautifully, which gives me a lot of confidence,” Del Moral said. “I had nine single putts over the front nine but only eight could go on the stats card as I putted from off the green at the second.
“So to have just 20 putts was unbelievable – incredible. And the ones that I missed hardly missed at all. They were so close to going in.”
Swedish rookie Joakim Lagergren (70) birdied the last to move to 14-under, a shot clear of a four-way tie between Swedes Mikael Lundberg (64) and Magnus Carlsson (71), Portugal’s Ricardo Santo (68) and England’s Oliver Wilson (72).
Wilson also birdied the 18th hole as he seeks to end a run of nine second-place finishes.
In another first for the European Tour, Shiv Kapur of India established what officials believed was the longest drive in tour history.
Kapur hit 442 yards off the downhill par-five 13th, leaving him only 11 yards to the flag.
“The ball just came off the clubface so good and seemed to go forever,” Kapur said. “There’s simply no wind today and – in this hot weather, and also as we are so high up on the island – the ball is just going so far.
“Of course, I’ve hit plenty of drives well over 300 yards but this is the first time I’ve ever launched a drive 442 yards.”
The drive is 17 yards longer than Tiger Woods’ best but 34 yards shorter than the US PGA Tour longest set by Davis Love in the 2004 Mercedes Championship in Hawaii.