Padraig Harrington takes a slender one shot lead over Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen into the final round of the Belgacom Open despite dropping a shot on the last at Royal Zoute.
Harrington had pulled two clear after a brace of birdies from the 15th but a hooked tee shot on the 18th left the Irishman deep in the bushes on the left and he had no option but to declare it unplayable. Even after taking a drop he was faced with a blind shot over trees to the green but he blasted a nine iron 150 yards onto the front edge and two putted for a five.
“I hit a tee shot which I could have taken seven off so I was very happy with a five,” he said after completing a round of 68, three under par. “It wasn’t disappointing at all. I was lucky to be able to drop it. Another time you would have to go back to the tee. It’s not an easy tee shot. I was looking at making seven walking down the fairway and made five so pleased with that.”
The tee shot on the last was one of only two bad shots Harrington hit all day, the other coming at the 12th when he again hooked his drive but managed to save par, and with four birdies he moved to 13 under par.
Meanwhile Westwood moved up the leaderboard with a 67, including five birdies and just the one dropped shot, The 1998 champion, currently lying second in the Volvo Order of Merit after four victories already this season, has looked dangerous all week and is poised to move back to the top of the money list.
“I played pretty good today without getting really rewarded for it,” commented Westwood. “I hit a lot of good shots out there especially round the front nine. Hit a lot of good tee shots which finished on an up slope when you wanted them on a down slope and a down slope when you wanted them on an up slope. That’s how links golf is. I’m certainly happy with 67. Right in there with a chance tomorrow, only one off the lead. That’s well in contention. You can be one ahead after one hole. Golf is a game like that. It changes very dramatically, very quickly.”
Westwood was the first to point out that it is not a just a two-horse race, saying: “There’s a log jam at the top of the leaderboard. It would be naïve and silly to think it is a two horse race and treat it like that. I won’t do that.”
Hansen certainly proved he is capable of shooting a low score after equalling the best of the day with a 63, eight under par, to move to 12 under. The Dane’s round benefited from two eagles on the back nine, the first on the 12th where he hit a five wood to two feet and then on the 15th where he holed his pitch from 115 yards.
Earlier Peter Baker had shot a 63, which included a run of five successive birdies from the sixth to move into the group on ten under par and put himself in the hunt for his first title since 1993.
Day 3 Video Highlights
