MATT Southgate will go into the final round of the NBO Oman Open in pole position.

The Thorpe Hall Golf Club member is 12 under par after the opening three rounds of the PGA European Tour event.

Southgate, 29, was joint top of the leaderboard after the first round, having required just 65 shots to complete all 18 holes.

A drop to 70 strokes for the second round resulted in the Southend-born professional golfer falling into second place, but an improvement by one shot has seen Southgate move back into top spot.

However, Southgate will need to be in top form to walk away as the winner of the 2018 NBO Oman Open.

Southgate is currently tied for first place with the Netherlands' Joost Luiten and Julien Guerrier, of France.