Wales Open update: Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell all made up ground in the third round of the Wales Open today but aspirations of winning are surely out of reach for the Irish trio at the 2012 Ryder Cup venue.
Clarke carded a fine four-under 67 for a three round eight-under 205 aggregate. Despite a round containing five birdies and just one dropped shot, the Dungannon man is still seven shots off the pace.
That pace is a fast one, and is set by little-known Australian Scott Strange, who leads by three shots on 15-under.
But Strange had more than just the new Ryder Cup course at Celtic Manor to contend with on his way to a third round 69.
The 31-year-old was relieved he didn't collapse and be sick towards the end of his round.
"Maybe I just need to lie down," said Strange. "For some reason I felt funny down the 14th and when I got on the 15th tee.
"I felt I was going to fall over and throw up. I had a banana and a chocolate bar, but I had plenty of food and drink before that and can't explain it.
"I'll have a chat with the physios and I'll then just wait and see how I am."
In any case the Australian managed to get home in two-under-par which resulted in his overnight lead being cut from four to three shots.
At 15-under-par Strange, chasing his first European Tour win after two victories in Asia, leads the race for the £300,000 first prize from Spaniard Alvaro Velasco, who shot 68.
India's Jeev Milkha Singh (69), Sweden's Robert Karlsson (68) and Raphael Jacquelin (68) from France share third.
McIlroy and McDowell both carded 68s to be six and four-under respectively.
Collated third round scores and totals in The Celtic Manor Wales Open, The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Cardiff, Wales
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 71):
198Scott Strange (Aus) 63 66 69
201Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 65 68 68
202Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 65 68 69, Robert
Karlsson (Swe) 67 67 68, Raphael
Jacquelin (Fra) 66 68 68
203Robert Dinwiddie 68 65 70, Benn Barham 69 64
70, Nick Dougherty 67 69 67,
Rafael Echenique (Arg) 67 67 69, Ross McGowan 66 68 69, Pablo
Larrazabal (Spa)
69 67 67, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 69 65
204Ross Fisher 67 70 67
205Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 69 70 66, Soren Hansen (Den)
68 68 69, Jamie Donaldson
72 66 67, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 66 68, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
(Spa) 67 68 70,
Darren Clarke 70 68 67, Sam Little 68 70 67
206Hennie Otto (Rsa) 67 68 71, Per-Ulrik Johansson
(Swe) 69 70 67, Gregory
Bourdy (Fra) 70 67 69, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 64 70 72
207Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 66 69, Garry
Houston 71 68 68,
Rory McIlroy 68
71 68, Peter Whiteford 68 67 72, Paul Waring 66 72
69
208Christian Cevaer (Fra) 69 70 69, Michael
Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 70 68,
Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 69 68, Mark Foster 69 71 68, Johan
Edfors (Swe) 69 70 69
209Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 69 69 71, Gary Orr 70 67
72, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)
69 68 72,
Graeme McDowell 69 72 68, David Howell 75 66 68,
Phillip Price 68 71
70, Simon Wakefield 71 66 72, Stephen Gallacher 69 69 71,
Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71
68 70, Barry Lane 71 69 69, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 71 67
71
210Colin Montgomerie 69 68 73, Luis Claverie (Spa)
70 71 69, Kyron Sullivan 70
68 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 71 68 71, Danny Willett 70 71
69, Julio Zapata
(Arg) 69 69 72, David Frost (Rsa) 69 71 70, Magnus A Carlsson
(Swe) 66 73 71,
Tom Whitehouse 73 68 69
211Lee Slattery 70 71 70, Ariel Canete (Arg) 72 69 70, David Lynn 72 68 71
212Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 73 68 71, Soren Kjeldsen
(Den) 72 68 72, Alastair
Forsyth 67 73 72, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 71 68 73, Peter
OMalley (Aus) 69 72 71
213Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 66 70 77, Jean-Francois
Lucquin (Fra) 74 66 73,
Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 71 69 73, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa)
69 70 74
214Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70 71 73, Carlos Rodiles
(Spa) 71 68 75, Emanuele
Canonica (Ita) 73 68 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 69 75
215Peter Baker 70 70 75
216Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 70 71 75
217Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 70 77
