O’Malley more than rough chance
AUSTRALIA’S Peter O’Malley has equalled the day’s best score, seven-under-par 63, to claim a share of third place after the third round of the European Open.
Denmark’s Soren Hansen birdied the last three holes to set the pace, the second time in successive weeks he has led after three rounds.
Hansen sank putts of 15, 40 and 12 feet for a scintillating finish which earned a 63 and a 10-under tally of 200. Briton Robert Rock (66) is two strokes adrift in second place.
O’Malley, Sweden’s Niclas Fasth (70) and Peter Hanson (66), who recorded a hole-in-one with a six-iron at the 171-yard 18th, and France’s Gregory Havret (68) are one shot further back.
O’Malley said that avoiding the “penal” rough was key to his success.
“The wind was still there but the thing I have been doing well is not putting myself under pressure.
“I am hitting fairways and greens and I putted well also. If you play well here you can score here but if you hit off line you are going to rack up a score.”
Hansen was three ahead going into the final round of the French Open in Versailles last week, but two double-bogeys in the first six holes ultimately cost him his first victory since the 2002 Irish Open.
“Without a win for five years is a long time,” said the 33-year-old.
“But I will take it one step at a time because last week I was sitting here saying the same thing.”
A victory would cover a certain amount of embarrassment for Hansen, who forgot to enter this month’s Open Championship.
His only route to Carnoustie is to win here at the K Club or at next week’s Scottish Open. Fasth, who won last month’s BMW International Open in Munich, marred his chances of a second triumph in three weeks with a closing bogey.
Colin Montgomerie’s bid for a first victory in 19 months faded with two late bogeys that left the 44-year-old Scot four strokes off the pace.
US Open champion Angel Cabrera had a quadruple-bogey eight and a double-bogey five in his 74 as the Argentinean trails Hansen by 14 shots.
Reuters