Bryce Easton got himself right in the mix on Friday in the third round of the HotelPlanner Tour’s GAC Rosa Challenge Tour at Rosa Golf Club in Konopiska, Poland with a five-under-par 65 lifting him into a share of second.

Only a late bogey – on the 16th hole – prevented Easton from carding a six-under 66 and taking a share of the lead. But his six birdies left him just one off the pace heading into the weekend.

Romain Wattel of France will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend , after carding six birdies without a bogey to reach nine-under-par for the week. Easton, Swede Hugo Townsend, Germany’s Anton Albers and Italian Renato Paratore – who could earn automatic promotion to the DP World Tour with a third win of the season this week – share second place on eight-under. Sam Jones from New Zealand and Portuguese Pedro Figueiredo, who fired a round-of-the-week eight-under-par 62 on day two, are one shot further back in sixth.

Easton’s own season could go some way to giving him a good chance of gaining promotion to the DP World Tour with a continued good performance in this tournament: He is currently projected to rise 31 places to 42nd on the Road to Mallorca rankings, which would put him inside the top 45 who make the season-ending Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca at the end of October.

Jovan Rebula was on five-under in a share of 17th after his four-under 66, together with JC Ritchie, who had a two-under 68 in his second round. Rebula is currently in 35th place and seemingly set for Mallorca, while Ritchie is projected to rise one place to seventh on the list and almost certain – barring disastrously poor performances for the rest of the season – of regaining his DP World Tour card.