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CROMWELL (Connecticut), Aug 28: Britain’s Justin Rose, chasing his first PGA Tour title, recovered from a stuttering start to hold a one-shot lead after the Buick Championship third round on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Englishman, four strokes ahead overnight at the TPC at River Highland in Cromwell, Connecticut, battled back from two bogeys in his first five holes to card a level-par 70 and a 54-hole total of 12-under 198.
American Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, had been level with Rose with two holes to play but ran up his only bogey of the day at the par-four 17th before finishing with a 67.
Leading third round scores:
198 — Justin Rose (Britain) 65, 63, 70.
199 — Ben Curtis (US) 64, 68, 67.
202 — Woody Austin (US) 69, 68, 65; Jerry Kelly (US) 68, 67, 67; Corey Pavin (US) 66, 69, 67; Tjaart van der Walt (South Africa) 68, 66, 68.
203 — Darron Stiles (US) 71, 69, 63.
204 — Tim Petrovic (US) 67, 67, 70; Kevin Sutherland (US) 65, 67, 72.
205 — Brad Faxon (US) 69, 71, 65; Spike McRoy (US) 68, 71, 66; Spencer Levin (US) 68, 68, 69; Nick Watney (US) 69, 66, 70; Darren Clarke (Britain) 70, 65, 70; Michael Putnam (US) 65, 69, 71.
206 — Kenny Perry (US) 70, 69, 67; D.J. Trahan (US) 71, 68, 67; Jeff Hart (US) 71, 67, 68; Steve Allan (Australia) 70, 68, 68; Frank Lickliter II (US) 68, 70, 68; Pat Perez (US) 70, 66, 70; Glen Day (US) 68, 67, 71; Tom Gillis (US) 67, 68, 71; Vaughn Taylor (US) 65, 70, 71; Robert Allenby (Australia) 68, 66, 72; Dean Wilson (US) 67, 66, 73.
BRITISH DUO POISED
MUNICH: Luke Donald and David Howell, two of Britain’s victorious Ryder Cup players, are poised for a head-to-head battle for the BMW International Open on Sunday, although the Nord Eichenried event is no two-horse race.
Donald, boosted by a chip-in for eagle at the par-five ninth that lifted him from a slow start, fired a five-under-par 67 in Saturday’s third round to finish at 17-under 199.
Leading third round scores:
199 — Luke Donald (Britain) 67, 65, 67.
200 — David Howell (Britain) 66, 68, 66.
201 — Simon Khan (Britain) 68, 65, 68; Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 67, 69, 65; Brett Rumford (Australia) 65, 67, 69.
202 — John Daly (US) 68, 69, 65; Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina) 67, 67, 68
203 — Angel Cabrera (Argentina) 65, 68, 70; Bradley Dredge (Britain) 67, 67, 69; Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 71, 68, 64; Paul McGinley (Ireland) 68, 69, 66; Peter O’Malley (Australia) 67, 70, 66.—Reuters
