ROOKIE MURRAY IN WITH A VICTORY
CHANCE ON CHALLENGE TOUR

By MICHAEL GIBBONS
Press Officer, European Challenge Tour

Rookie tour pro George Murray from Anstruther is in with a fighting chance of a breakthrough victory in the European Challenge Tour event, the Toulouse Open, in France on Sunday.
Murray, a former Scottish amateur champion, has put together rounds of 67, 70 and 69 for a 10-under-par tally of 206 which puts him in a four-way tie for second place, just one shot behind the Belgian leader, Nicolas Vanhootegem.
George had birdies at the first, sixth, seventh and 18th and only one bogey, at the eighth, in his third-round 69 today when he coped very well with the kind of pressure he has not faced before the pro ranks.
The Fifer's birdie 2 at the 207yd home hole enabled him to join Christian Reimbold (Germany), Gareth Paddison (New Zealand) and Andre Bossert (Switzerland) in second place.
The only other Scottish qualifier for the last 36 holes, Andrew McArthur, another former Scottish amateur champion, is back in a share of 15th place on 209 after scores of 70, 71 and 68. McArthur actually played better than Murray today with a bogey-free round which had birdies at the seventh, 11th, 16th and 17th.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72). 6924yd.
205 Nicolas Vanhootegem (Bel) 71 65 69.
206 Christian Reimbold (Ger) 64 71 71, Gareth Paddison (NZ) 70 67 69, André Bossert (Swi) 67 69 70, George Murray (Sco) 67 70 69.
207 Jan-Are Larsen (Nor) 70 70 67, Michael Hoey (NIr) 64 74 69, Joost Luiten (Net) 70 71 66, Kalle Edberg (Swe) 68 72 67, Michiel Bothma (SAf) 69 66 72; Peter Kaensche (Nor) 70 70 68.
208 Magnus Persson (Swe) 73 67 68; Colm Moriarty (Ire 71 67 70, Leif Westerberg (Swe) 67 73 68.
209 Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 72 71 66, Andrew McArthur (Sco) 70 71 68, Kieran Staunton (Eng) 70 71 68, Van Phillips (Eng) 66 72 71, Jamie Little (Eng) 69 73 67, Raphaël De Sousa (Swi) 69 73 67, Paul Dwyer (Eng) 68 73 68.
210 Pontus Ericsson (Swe) 70 70 70; Julien Quesne (Fra) 69 72 69; Gareth Wright (Wal) 68 70 72, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 69 74 67.
211 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 72 71 68, John Wade (Aus) 68 71 72, Sébastien Delagrange (Fra) 66 75 70, Peter Baker (Eng) 70 73 68, Adam Gee (Eng) 69 69 73, Paul Nilbrink (Nor) 71 70 70, Rodolfo Gonzalez (Arg) 66 73 72, Oliver Whiteley (Eng) 70 73 68, Stephen Browne (Ire) 69 70 72, Iain Pyman (Eng) 71 71 69, Kevin Harper (Eng) 72 69 70.
212 Nicolas Joakimides (Fra) 70 71 71, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 71 69 72, Jean Marc De Polo (Fra) 68 71 73; Neil Walker (Eng) 72 69 71; Stuart Davis (Eng) 70 70 72, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 71 67 74; Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 71 72 69; Antti Ahokas (Fin) 72 69 71, Anders Schmidt Hansen (Den) 71 71 70; Raphaël Pellicioli (Fra) 73 70 69.
213 Bruno-Teva Lecuona (Fra) 70 69 74, Andrea Maestroni (Ita) 73 68 72, Daniel De Leon (Mex) 73 69 71.
214 Thomas Feyrsinger (Aut) 74 69 71, Robert Coles (Eng) 69 73 72, Robert Dinwiddie (Eng) 67 73 74, Emilien Chamaulte (Fra) 74 69 71, Michael Mcgeady (Ire) 71 71 72; Edouard Dubois (Fra) (am) 70 72 72.
215 Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 70 72 73; Dominique Nouailhac (Fra) 72 70 73, Nicola Maestroni (Ita) 68 74 73, Arnaud Gabellon (Fra) 70 70 75, Charles-Edouard Russo (Fra) 71 72 72, Mikko Korhonen (Fin) 70 68 77, Didier De Vooght (Bel) 72 70 73, Julien Xanthopoulos (Fra) 73 70 72, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 71 74.
216 Juan Abbate (Arg) 72 70 74.
217 Benjamin Miarka (Ger) 70 73 74.
218 Toni Karjalainen (Fin) 69 73 76; Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 76.
220 Kasper Linnet Jorgensen (Den) 71 68 81.
224 Jacob Okello (Ken) 68 72 84.