Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello carded a seven-under 63 to share a one-shot lead with Englishman Lee Slattery after yesterday's third round of the Dutch Open
AFP/Stockholm
Englishman Lee Slattery and Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello both carded seven-under 63’s to share a one shot lead at the Dutch Open following a spectacular third round yesterday.
Cabrera-Bello chipped in from 50ft for an eagle at the seventh during a front nine of 29 that also included six birdies against just one bogey while Slattery kept pace with an eagle of his own and six birdies to share the overnight lead.
Scotland’s 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie, 46, climbed the leaderboard with a 63 of his own to lie alone in third spot just one shot back on a day when birdies were in abundance at the Kennemer Golf and Country Club in northern Holland.
The record for holes-in-one for an EPGA season fell, when Swede Magnus A Carlsson aced the short par-three eighth before Australian Wade Ormsby found the hole from the tee on the 11th hole to make it 41 in a season for Europe’s finest, and better the previous 2006 mark by two.
“I sunk a very long putt on the first hole and after that all the other birdies were pretty much tap-ins,” said the 31-year-old Cabrera-Bello, who saw another eagle attempt bounce off the pin at the fifth and nestle next to the hole for a tap-in birdie.
“Even the bogey I had was a three-putt from five feet, so it could’ve been better, but I’m really pleased that everything went my way,” said the Spaniard who is chasing a third EPGA win and first since the 2012 Dubai Classic.
“It was a bonus to hole my third shot for an eagle on the seventh. I just threw my club up in the air because I didn’t know how to celebrate! I wasn’t expecting that.
“It could’ve been one or two better but I’ll take 63. It’s very exciting for tomorrow (Sunday) and it looks like I’ll be in the last group with Lee (Slattery). Being in the final group on the last day is always an honour and very exciting.
Slattery, who won the Russian Open last week, opened with three birdies over the first four holes before holing a 10ft putt at the 12th for an eagle as part of his 63.
“It’s like a dream come true at the minute. I went into last week with a lot of pressure on and won, and then I’ve come here with no pressure whatsoever and just been trying to play good golf,” said the 37-year-old.
“It’s a fabulous feeling and I feel a lot more relaxed this week than I was last week.
Belgian Thomas Pieters sits just two shots adrift and alone in fourth after the day’s joint-lowest score of 62 while Finland’s Mikko Ilonen matched him and shares fifth with Ormsby and Denmark’s Morten Orum Madsen.
Lee holds the edge
It was a packed leaderboard at the end of the third round of the Evian Championship, with South Korea’s Lee Mi-Hyang at the top on ten under par 203 and teenager Lydia Ko nicely poised in her bid for history.
Lee, the halfway leader, recovered from dropping shots at the first two holes to post a 70 and she led by a shot from American Lexi Thompson (66) with Ko and Morgan Pressel another shot back in joint third on eight under.
For Ko, 18 years and four months, it is the last chance to surpass Pressel, who was 18 years and ten months when she triumphed at the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship, and become the youngest ever winner of a women’s major.
New Zealand’s world number two made her move with a terrific round of 67, the only blemish coming with a bogey at the tricky final hole. The round ended in rain and wind and she bunkered her second shot and then failed to get up and down.
“It wasn’t the easiest, conditions,” acknowledged the player who made it to world number one at the start of the year. But it was a very solid round. I’d love to be about five shots ahead, but I’m happy with my position. It’s a good place to be going into the last round.”
Pressel was sharing the lead with playing partner Lee playing the last, but she hit her second shot into water and ran up a costly double-bogey six and had to settle for a 70.
For Lee, it was a great comeback from a miserable start. She got back to level par for the round by the turn with birdies at the fifth and ninth and then holed a raking 20-foot birdie putt at the 12th.
She dropped a shot at the 14th as the rain began to fall, but made a great up and down birdie at the long 15th and, at the 18th, she holed a ten foot par putt to stay ahead of the field.
For the 22-year-old, whose only LPGA win came in the Mizuno Classic at the end of last year, leading a major is a whole new experience.
“Tomorrow (Sunday) will be the first time that I’ve been in the last group in a final round and that makes me excited,” said Lee. “I was really happy to make that putt at the last and I’m going to enjoy it tomorrow and, hopefully, not be too nervous.”
With bad weather forecast, the organisers have decided to make it a two tee start and earlier times for the final day. “That pleases me,” continued the leader. “I wont have so long to hang around. Today I bunkered my tee shot at the first and dropped a shot and then bogeyed the second. But I wasn’t too worried. There were still 16 holes to go.”