England’s Ian Poulter will take a four shot lead into the final round of the Moroccan Open after firing a four under par 69 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat to move to 12 under par 207.
Poulter, the 2000 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, will be seeking his second European Tour title and aiming to go one better than last year where he finished runner up alongside Thomas Levet but the Frenchman will have a similar goal in mind. Levet is lying joint second with another Englishman Gary Evans and Swede Robert Karlsson on eight under par 211.
Poulter, who claimed his maiden title by winning the Italian Open last year, looked in control from the start, pulling clear with birdies on the second, fourth and eighth. The 25 year old picked up another two birdies on the 10th and 12th before dropping his only shot of the day on the 16th. A wayward drive left him in the trees on the right and he was unable to reach the green in two, finding the bunker short instead. Poulter holed a testing five footer to save par on the 17th and was unlucky not to extend his lead to five strokes when he narrowly missed an eight footer on the last.
“It was getting tricky out there,” said Poulter. “The wind gusts up 16 and 17 and it’s a good finish.
“I didn’t do too much wrong. I had great chances on all the front nine. Shot three under but could have been more. Back nine was good as well. Maybe a bit shakey at the end. Just a shame I couldn’t birdie the last.
“Tomorrow I need to just go and play the same. Go out there and enjoy it. I really enjoyed it today. If I play the way I played today things should be fine.
“I’ve got a four shot lead. It is tough going out that far in front. All the other guys are going to be chasing hard and I’m sure they are going to shoot a good score which means I’ve got to shoot a good one as well. It’s there to win.”
Evans tore through the field, equalling the course record with an eight birdie 66 to move from joint 30th at the start of the round to joint second. Seven of his eight birdies came from putts of eight feet or less as he peppered the flag, the only exception being the 17th where he rattled home a 30 foot birdie putt.
“I just tried to get my head down,” he said. “I feel I’ve been playing well but not holing any putts. But the field was so bunched. Even if I had only got to four under I would still have been in the top 25. I’m just trying to play half decent. It’s all about holing putts. If you hole a few putts you get a bit of confidence.
“I’ve played five tournaments so far, made four cuts but have not made more than £10,000 which is disappointing to say the least. I’ll be looking for a good finish tomorrow.”
Levet, winner of the 1998 Cannes Open, closed the gap on Poulter after following an eagle on the tenth with a birdie on the 11th but fell back to eight under with two bogeys in his last five holes to conclude a round of 70.
“I’m happy with my round. The way I started was really nice. Didn’t think I was very lucky with the shots I missed. Could be better but I made some putts. Anything under par is nice.
“Ian is playing very well. He has not missed many shots today. He is a solid leader and it is going to be tough to pass him but this is golf. It is a tough finish and will be tough on his nerves. If you can get within two shots he might think and you never know. Anything can happen. I’ve won from seven behind and know what it is to win. He has still to win it. There are lots of guys on seven and eight under who can shoot 66 and catch him.”
Karlsson was another player who moved into a threatening position only to slip up on the closing holes. A bogey in 16 was followed by another on 17 where his tee shot found the water but the winner of three European Tour events pulled a stroke back with a birdie on the last for a round of 70. Karlsson has twice finished second on this course in both the Moroccan Open and the Hassan II Trophy.
“I played pretty good today but missed a couple coming in,” he said. “ I’m happy to be in contention again for another tournament. I’ve not played much at all but am looking at this as a great opportunity to practice being under pressure. Ian has it in his own hands but it is not easy on this course. If I can get a good start and put a bit pf pressure on him you never know.”
Among the group of six players a shot further back on seven under par is Australian Peter Lonard who similarly charged up the leaderboard with a seven under par 66 which included a hole in one on the ninth. With a car awaiting anyone who achieved such a feat on the 17th it was possibly not the right hole to ace but having already won a car for a hole in one in Australia Lonard felt he couldn’t be too greedy. Twice a winner on the Australasian Tour over the past four months, Lonard fired five birdies coming home to equal the course record of 66.
