Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell believes he must stick to his guns and play to his strengths if he's to compete with the big hitters for the fog-delayed Italian Open.

The former Walker Cup star (36) made six birdies in a 68 to move up to tied eighth alongside the likes of defending champion Bernd Wiesberger and two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer on nine-under-par, leaving him seven shots behind England’s Laurie Canter.

Scores

"I am up there, but at the start of the week, I thought it was a course that wasn't my cup of tea at all," said Caldwell, who insists his next goal is simply to clinch a top-five finish. “It's a bomber's course where you can hit it pretty much anywhere, and there are a lot of guys up there that hit it miles.

"Laurie Canter is long and Dean Burmester, who I've played with him the last two days, he's hitting it 40 and 50 yards past me. It's playing so easy for guys like that. Then they are hitting wedges in where I am hitting eight irons. But it is what it is, a long and soft golf course."

As for winning, he does not dare to set his sights so high just yet after flitting between the Europro Tour and the Challenge Tour for more than a decade.

"No, no. If I aim for top-five and happen to stumble across the line somewhere, that would be nice. But I'll just take it one step at a time. These guys are pretty good out here.

"I'm enjoying it, though. It is hard not to after all the years on Europros and whatnot, scraping it here and there. I just have to keep doing what I am doing."

He has his work cut out to challenge overnight leader Canter (30), who followed his 12-under 60 on Thursday with a 68 to lead by two strokes at Chervò Golf Club in Brescia from compatriot Ross McGowan on 16-under par.

McGowan reeled off eight birdies in a flawless 64 to trail Canter by two shots on 14-under with Burmester two shots further back after a 68.

Ardglass' Cormac Sharvin carded a 69 to move up to 45th on six-under, but Gavin Moynihan missed the four-under cut by a shot despite making five birdies in a 69.

The top 60 in the Race to Dubai will contest the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and while Caldwell knows his chances are slim, he also knows that he has six tournaments remaining to move from 122nd in the standings into the top 60,

“I will keep playing every week until we wear ourselves out and need some time off. It's easy when you are playing nicely,” Caldwell said. “I know well enough it doesn't last forever. I will keep plugging away, do the two weeks in Cyprus and then head off to South African for the last three and that will bring us up to Christmas.”

“I will just keep doing what I am doing and hope I get that big week that I need. But I am going to need a seriously big week or play a lot of good golf the next five-six weeks to have any chance of that. I am certainly not ruling it out, but I can't get ahead of myself. I just have to keep doing what I am doing.”

Player quotes 

Laurie Canter: "I started off really nicely, picked up where I left off yesterday. Got myself three under early and had a couple more chances. Front nine was really good. Then just made a bit of a poor swing at 11 and ended up making a bogey. Obviously on a par five around here you usually get a great chance to make a birdie. That set me back a bit. I hung in there. I didn't play my best on the back nine, so actually level par for four under is a good effort. 

If you're going to be there on Sunday late, it can feel like four long days if you get ramped up early. Tried to just stay chilled out and go through the same process I was going through yesterday.  

Just more of the same definitely tomorrow. I don't think anything needs to change. You can't take your foot off around here; the scoring is going to be good. A lot of good players stacked up behind. I've got to go out and do what I'm doing and hopefully give myself a really good chance on Sunday. 

Ross McGowan: “The putter has been pretty hot. The greens are good and the ball is going in, which is a good start. My driving hasn’t been great – it's not a course that emphasises that – but I’m going to try and improve that for the weekend.

It’s just the putter this week. I made a lot of cuts in the UK Swing and a couple of events after that, I just couldn’t get the putter going. The last two days, we’ve holed a lot of them.

I think that’s key. Missing greens in the right places as well, there’s a couple of sneaky slopes and the pins close to the edges, if you short-side yourself, you’re going to struggle. On the whole, miss it in the right place and hole the putts.”

Dean Burmester: “It was a little misty, a little cooler, not much wind so it’s still there for the taking. I think there’ll be some guys with some good scoring this afternoon. The greens are great and the course is pretty soft. I was a little disappointing with two bogeys today, but other than that I’m happy with the way it’s going.

“I just keep telling myself to let loose. Don’t have any control, stay in the moment and what happens happens. If I hit a putt and it goes in, it goes in, if you hit a bad shot, so be it, that’s the way it goes. Hopefully I can do that again this weekend, it’s paying dividends and showing because I’m playing quite nicely. If I can keep that up, I’ll be alright.”