EWEN FERGUSON: 36 holes I played really, really good. Today was such a grind. I knew that I didn't feel great on the range and it was going to be a grind, so battled away and chipped and putted my way to shooting a really good 68 around a tough golf course and extended my lead.
Can't ask for much more, to be honest.
Q. Early on Filippo had closed that gap. How quite tense watching it? Did you feel a bit of pressure at that point?
EWEN FERGUSON: No, because it's just way too early to start feeling pressure. I'll feel pressure tomorrow on the back nine, but like I just was just -- you're just jockeying for position at this moment it seems like, so just kind of going with it. Try to enjoy it, even though it is -- it was tough because I wasn't at all on my game, but grinded it out really well.
Q. You mentioned the chip-in there and the wedge you made at 6 to save par there. How important that was?
EWEN FERGUSON: Yeah, I've been working on my chipping a lot and wedging and stuff. Good one at the last. I thought was going to be closer, but the chip at 6 was just -- that kind of stuff for momentum makes such a big difference.
You walk on the next tee feeling great rather than walking on the next tee just thinking about making a bogey. Chip at 6 was good, and a couple other ones out there.
Q. As you mentioned, the three-shot lead going into tomorrow. Cushion could have been bigger had it not been for those two bogeys towards the end. How frustrating were those?
EWEN FERGUSON: Not frustrating really, because I made loads -- like I should have made other bogeys. I got lucky breaks and stuff.
I think everyone is making mistakes. It's not just me. It's a tough course. It was annoying, but like well, like everyone is going to do it. It's not just me. I just tried to look at it that way. My caddie was like, listen, it's not easy here. There is a swirly wind as well, so other people are going to make mistakes. I just tried to, yeah, you're right.
So kind of done well the last couple holes, and happy to finish with the birdie.
Q. Tomorrow obviously a different task to what you faced in Qatar as a frontrunner this time. How will you approach that tomorrow?
EWEN FERGUSON: Just the same. Try and have fun and stuff. I know I had the similar kind of -- I had a 4-shot lead in Kenya and didn't do really well. Learned from that experience.
And then if I win tomorrow, then I win. If not, like I'm playing another 1000 tournaments, so it's not -- I'll just kind of learn from it as much as I can.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports