Celtic Manor Wales Open hit by heavy rain, flooding

Ramsay faces two-stroke penalty

for allegedly improving his lie

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay continued to battle for the Wales Open lead late into the night at Celtic Manor - but was facing a possible two-stroke penalty.
After the start of the third round had been delayed for well over six hours before of heavy rain that flooded fairways and bunkers, play went on until almost 9pm.
That was still not enough time, however, for everybody to finish and when the action was halted European Tour rookie Ramsay was four under par with two to go and one behind England's Nick Dougherty, Spaniard Ignacio Garrido and little-known Dane Jeppe Huldahl.
But Tour chief referee John Paramor then took Ramsay away to study an incident on the eighth hole.
Placing of the ball was in operation because of the conditions and Ramsay was questioned over whether he had improved his area of intended swing by pressing down the ground behind the position from where he was going to play his next shot.
Perhaps Paramor will be as lenient with Ramsay as the US PGA Tour officials were with Kenny Perry recently in a similar incident where it was held that Perry "did not intend" to improve his lie.
Meanwhile, European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, joint eighth overnight, fell all the way back to 46th on three over par with a desperately disappointing 78.
It took only five holes for things to go wrong for the 45-year-old, chasing his first win in two years - and a first top 10 finish in almost a year.
On the short third he came up short and rolled down the bank into the lake and at the 433-yard fifth he went from a fairway bunker into more water by the green.
American cup captain Corey Pavin, who had survived the cut with nothing to spare at two over, was two over following a 72.
Dougherty made a magnificent recovery from a front nine 40, picking up three birdies and then a closing eagle in the gathering gloom for an inward 30.
Huldahl, who has never had a top 10 finish in 44 events on the circuit, shot a superb three under 68, while Garrido had a level par 71. England's Ross Fisher and Robert Rock, joint second at halfway, were both back to two under when play ended.
COMPLETED THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
208 (-5) Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 69 71 68, Nick Dougherty 66 72 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 68 69 71
209 (-4) Paul Waring 71 68 70, Simon Dyson 74 65 70 (Richie Ramsay is -4 with two holes to complete).
210 (-3) Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 68 71, Richard Green (Aus) 68 71 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 70 70 70, Paul McGinley 68 71 71, Mark Foster 69 69 72, Jeev Milka Singh (India) 69 68 73, Fabriosi Zanotti (Ita) 67 71 72.
211 (-2) Chris Wood 72 69 70, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 69 72, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 70 72 69, Danny Willett 73 66 72, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 73 71 (Ross Fisher & Robert Rock are -2 with two holes to complete).
212 Richard Finch 71 68 73, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 70 70 72, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 69 70 73, Oliver Fisher 72 69 71
213 Gary Lockerbie 69 70 74, Gary Orr 68 73 72, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 66 73 74, Rhys Davies 73 69 71, Santiago Luna (Spa) 73 69 71, Simon Khan 69 73 71
214 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 73 67 74, David Lynn 69 73 72, John Bickerton 69 70 75
215 Alan McLean 66 73 76, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 67 76, Peter Lawrie 69 72 74, Lee Slattery 68 73 74, Callum Macaulay 68 71 76, Stephen Dodd 72 67 76, Corey Pavin (USA) 72 72 71, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 69 72 74, Chris Doak 72 69 74, Bradley Dredge 74 70 71
216 Branden Grace (Rsa) 70 72 74, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 72 74, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 72 70 74, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 69 72 75, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 70 69 77, Colin Montgomerie 69 69 78.
217 Robert Dinwiddie 71 71 75, Michael Curtain (Aus) 71 72 74, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 73 69 75, David Frost (Rsa) 66 76 75
218 Jonathan Caldwell 72 72 74, Scott Drummond 74 70 74, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 74 70 74
219 Christian Nilsson (Swe) 71 71 77, Benn Barham 69 72 78, Marcel Siem (Ger) 74 68 77
220 Taco Remkes (Ned) 67 75 78
221 Tim Dykes 68 75 78, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice) 69 73 79
224 Mark Brown (Nzl) 70 73 81
227 Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 72 71 84