Gary Hurley hopes Lady Luck will be on his side after a third successive 68 left him seven shots off the lead heading into the final round of the Challenge Tour’s SDC Open in South Africa.

Back in action for the first time since May after taking a mental health break from the DP World Tour, the West Waterford (31) man mixed four birdies with three bogeys on the front nine at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa in Limpopo before coming home in three under thanks to birdies at the 10th, 16th and 18th

“It was up and down,” said Hurley, tied for 15th in the co-sanctioned Sunshine Tour event, seven shots behind South Africa’s Louis Albertse and Wilco Nienaber. “I made a few silly bogeys from basic positions. But I played nicely and stuck in there well and finished strong. Happy with the day,”

Albertse shot 65 and Nienaber an eight-under 64 to lead by a shot from Wales’s Rhys Enoch on 19-under.

But Hurley believes he can still make a run at the leaders as he adjusts to playing at altitude.

“It was nice to finish well,” he said. “It looks like it's going require a little one tomorrow to have any chance, but you never know. We'll see.

“I think it was that easier today with a different wind. I think it helps on the two par-fives coming in. And they had a few tees forward as well. So it was a little bit easier. 

“But the ball goes miles. I was using meters, but now I am using the distances as yards. You don't really notice it anymore. 

“The hardest ones are when you are in between short wedges. It comes out hotter and stays in the air for longer. So that's the only thing you’ve got to get used to.”

He plans to keep doing the same things on Sunday and believes he can still contend.

“I will do the stuff I've been doing,” he said. “I got a bit of an unlucky a couple of times today as well. 

“I hit two trees in the middle of the fairway and kicked into the trees. And those two holes probably would have been birdie holes or even eagle chances. 

“So I got a little bit unlucky today at times. Tomorrow, if I do the same things and things go my way, anything can happen.”

On the DP World Tour, Dylan Frittelli matched the lowest round of the day with a three-under 69 to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies.

The South African entered the weekend with a share of the lead and while it was not quite as windy as it had been on day two, there were still testing conditions for the field at Royal Golf Club.

That showed in the early stages as the lead moved backwards, but Frittelli made a hat-trick of birdies around the turn and surged ahead, moving to 12 under and two clear of countryman Ockie Strydom.

Strydom also carded a 69 to sit at ten under, one clear of Swede Jesper Svensson who signed for a 72, with seven players then five shots off the lead.

Frittelli, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour in 2016, will tomorrow go in search of his first DP World Tour title in over six years as he looks to add a third trophy to his CV.

Overnight co-leader Joel Girrbach posted a two over 74 to drop into a tie for fourth alongside Englishman Sam Bairstow, Spain’s Sebastian Garcia, Frederic Lacroix of France, South African Zander Lombard, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and Dane Niklas Nørgaard.