PETER WHITEFORD JT EIGHTH IN FRANCE
Burning Coles hopes to turn up head on Ahokas
From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
On a day when the overnight leaders either stood still or went backwards, flamboyant Finn Antti Ahokas made great strides forward to go into the final round of the ALLIANZ Golf Open Grand Toulouse as the man to catch.
Ahokas, who is easy to spot with his bright blond locks and even brighter trousers, sets the clubhouse target on 16 under par, one stroke clear of Austrian Ronald Steiner, who dropped back to second place with a bogey on the last hole at Golf de Tolouse-Seilh, in south west France. But the big dangers could be the in-form Portuguese José-Filipe Lima and the rejuvenated Englishman Robert Coles, who lurk two shots behind the leader in a group which also includes Switzerland’s Julien Clément, Frenchman Charles-Edouard Russo and Austria’s Martin Wiegele.
Coles might feel aggrieved not be back on The European Tour by now, having looked on course to capture his third Challenge Tour title of the season in Geneva two months ago, only for injury to strike on the third day and force him to withdraw from the event.
The physical injury took around a month to heal but the mental scars lingered a while longer, although Coles feels he is getting back towards the sort of form which saw him win in Morocco and Ireland earlier in the season.
Coles, currently ninth in the Challenge Tour Rankings and all but guaranteed a return to The European Tour, said: “I’ve hit some shots this week which I haven’t hit for a while – probably since my injury. My game hasn’t felt quite right for a while now, but it’s slowly coming back. I’ve been hitting a lot of bad shots and not many good ones recently, which isn’t a great combination!
"But this week has been a different story. I’ve been working hard since I got back from my injury, but I haven’t been quite at the races until the last couple of days. We’re still not quite there, but the signs are definitely better.”
Coincidentally, one of the men who has taken advantage of Coles’ enforced absence through injury is Lima, whose ball the Englishman was running to retrieve when he suffered his calf strain.
In the meantime Lima has climbed to second in the Rankings thanks largely to his victory at last week’s ECCO Tour Championship, and he will now bid to become the first player to win back to back titles on this season’s Challenge Tour.
Lima, whose round of 66 included seven birdies and a solitary bogey, said: “I’m playing well, although I’ve still made some stupid mistakes this week. I set myself the target of shooting ten under, which might sound ridiculous but it’s possible on this course. I was going well today without making many putts, but then I made a mistake on the 15th which set me back a bit. But I came back with a birdie on the 17th, and I have to be happy with a round of 66, because it gives me a real chance for tomorrow."
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3s72)
200 A Ahokas (Fin) 64 69 67,
201 R Steiner (Aut) 67 65 69,
202 J Clément (Sui) 72 64 66, J Lima (Por) 68 68 66, R Coles (Eng) 68 67 67, C Russo (Fra) 64 69 69, M Wiegele (Aut) 65 72 65,
203 F Colombo (Ita) 67 65 71, S Walker (Eng) 66 70 67, M Zions (Aus) 64 67 72, C Suneson (Esp) 70 67 66, P Baker (Eng) 69 68 66, P Whiteford (Sco) 65 68 70,
204 J Parry (Eng) 66 68 70, S Bebb (Wal) 65 74 65, V Dubuisson (am) (Fra) 69 69 66,
205 A Bossert (Sui) 68 66 71, J Quesne (Fra) 68 66 71, J Caldwell (Nir) 67 72 66, L Bond (Wal) 67 67 71, Å Nilsson (Swe) 67 66 72, N Colsaerts (Bel) 69 62 74, O Floren (Swe) 70 67 68, S Manley (Wal) 65 71 69,
206 A Wagner (Arg) 67 64 75, C Brazillier (Fra) 67 68 71, N Meitinger (Ger) 68 70 68, C Monasterio (Arg) 66 68 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 68 67 71,
207 A Kaleka (Fra) 68 69 70, C Günther (Ger) 69 67 71, A Butterfield (Eng) 67 71 69, B Teilleria (Fra) 69 68 70, A McArthur (Sco) 65 71 71, F Fritsch (Ger) 65 73 69,
208 J Larsen (Nor) 67 68 73, J Moul (Eng) 67 69 72, A Snobeck (Fra) 67 68 73, B Pettersson (Swe) 69 69 70, R Muntz (Ned) 67 70 71, M Reale (Ita) 66 72 70, R McEvoy (Eng) 67 71 70, S Davis (Eng) 69 69 70, R Saxton (Ned) 67 72 69,
209 A Hansen (Den) 68 70 71, D Nouailhac (Fra) 69 70 70, F Calmels (Fra) 67 72 70, S Thornton (Irl) 71 68 70, A Tampion (Aus) 69 66 74, E Moreul (Fra) 67 71 71,
210 C Menut (Fra) 69 70 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 69 71, J Morrison (Eng) 69 69 72, G Boyd (Eng) 68 69 73, B Mason (Eng) 70 69 71, S Jeppesen (Swe) 69 70 71, M Higley (Eng) 70 69 71, B Hebert (Fra) 68 69 73, J Guerrier (Fra) 69 68 73, G Paddison (Nzl) 67 69 74,
211 F Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 70 72, M Tullo (Chi) 64 74 73, L James (Eng) 70 68 73, I Pyman (Eng) 71 68 72,
212 M Haastrup (Den) 67 71 74, G Molteni (Ita) 69 68 75
Paul Symes
Press Officerreat chance for tomorrow.”
None of the overnight leaders managed to break par, as Matthew Zions’ round of 72 saw the Australian remain on 13 under par, whilst Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts dropped back to 11 under par after his 74, with Argentina’s Alan Wagner one shot further back after he signed for a three over par round of 75.
SCOREBOARD TO COME
From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
On a day when the overnight leaders either stood still or went backwards, flamboyant Finn Antti Ahokas made great strides forward to go into the final round of the ALLIANZ Golf Open Grand Toulouse as the man to catch.
Ahokas, who is easy to spot with his bright blond locks and even brighter trousers, sets the clubhouse target on 16 under par, one stroke clear of Austrian Ronald Steiner, who dropped back to second place with a bogey on the last hole at Golf de Tolouse-Seilh, in south west France. But the big dangers could be the in-form Portuguese José-Filipe Lima and the rejuvenated Englishman Robert Coles, who lurk two shots behind the leader in a group which also includes Switzerland’s Julien Clément, Frenchman Charles-Edouard Russo and Austria’s Martin Wiegele.
Coles might feel aggrieved not be back on The European Tour by now, having looked on course to capture his third Challenge Tour title of the season in Geneva two months ago, only for injury to strike on the third day and force him to withdraw from the event.
The physical injury took around a month to heal but the mental scars lingered a while longer, although Coles feels he is getting back towards the sort of form which saw him win in Morocco and Ireland earlier in the season.
Coles, currently ninth in the Challenge Tour Rankings and all but guaranteed a return to The European Tour, said: “I’ve hit some shots this week which I haven’t hit for a while – probably since my injury. My game hasn’t felt quite right for a while now, but it’s slowly coming back. I’ve been hitting a lot of bad shots and not many good ones recently, which isn’t a great combination!
"But this week has been a different story. I’ve been working hard since I got back from my injury, but I haven’t been quite at the races until the last couple of days. We’re still not quite there, but the signs are definitely better.”
Coincidentally, one of the men who has taken advantage of Coles’ enforced absence through injury is Lima, whose ball the Englishman was running to retrieve when he suffered his calf strain.
In the meantime Lima has climbed to second in the Rankings thanks largely to his victory at last week’s ECCO Tour Championship, and he will now bid to become the first player to win back to back titles on this season’s Challenge Tour.
Lima, whose round of 66 included seven birdies and a solitary bogey, said: “I’m playing well, although I’ve still made some stupid mistakes this week. I set myself the target of shooting ten under, which might sound ridiculous but it’s possible on this course. I was going well today without making many putts, but then I made a mistake on the 15th which set me back a bit. But I came back with a birdie on the 17th, and I have to be happy with a round of 66, because it gives me a real chance for tomorrow."
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3s72)
200 A Ahokas (Fin) 64 69 67,
201 R Steiner (Aut) 67 65 69,
202 J Clément (Sui) 72 64 66, J Lima (Por) 68 68 66, R Coles (Eng) 68 67 67, C Russo (Fra) 64 69 69, M Wiegele (Aut) 65 72 65,
203 F Colombo (Ita) 67 65 71, S Walker (Eng) 66 70 67, M Zions (Aus) 64 67 72, C Suneson (Esp) 70 67 66, P Baker (Eng) 69 68 66, P Whiteford (Sco) 65 68 70,
204 J Parry (Eng) 66 68 70, S Bebb (Wal) 65 74 65, V Dubuisson (am) (Fra) 69 69 66,
205 A Bossert (Sui) 68 66 71, J Quesne (Fra) 68 66 71, J Caldwell (Nir) 67 72 66, L Bond (Wal) 67 67 71, Å Nilsson (Swe) 67 66 72, N Colsaerts (Bel) 69 62 74, O Floren (Swe) 70 67 68, S Manley (Wal) 65 71 69,
206 A Wagner (Arg) 67 64 75, C Brazillier (Fra) 67 68 71, N Meitinger (Ger) 68 70 68, C Monasterio (Arg) 66 68 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 68 67 71,
207 A Kaleka (Fra) 68 69 70, C Günther (Ger) 69 67 71, A Butterfield (Eng) 67 71 69, B Teilleria (Fra) 69 68 70, A McArthur (Sco) 65 71 71, F Fritsch (Ger) 65 73 69,
208 J Larsen (Nor) 67 68 73, J Moul (Eng) 67 69 72, A Snobeck (Fra) 67 68 73, B Pettersson (Swe) 69 69 70, R Muntz (Ned) 67 70 71, M Reale (Ita) 66 72 70, R McEvoy (Eng) 67 71 70, S Davis (Eng) 69 69 70, R Saxton (Ned) 67 72 69,
209 A Hansen (Den) 68 70 71, D Nouailhac (Fra) 69 70 70, F Calmels (Fra) 67 72 70, S Thornton (Irl) 71 68 70, A Tampion (Aus) 69 66 74, E Moreul (Fra) 67 71 71,
210 C Menut (Fra) 69 70 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 69 71, J Morrison (Eng) 69 69 72, G Boyd (Eng) 68 69 73, B Mason (Eng) 70 69 71, S Jeppesen (Swe) 69 70 71, M Higley (Eng) 70 69 71, B Hebert (Fra) 68 69 73, J Guerrier (Fra) 69 68 73, G Paddison (Nzl) 67 69 74,
211 F Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 70 72, M Tullo (Chi) 64 74 73, L James (Eng) 70 68 73, I Pyman (Eng) 71 68 72,
212 M Haastrup (Den) 67 71 74, G Molteni (Ita) 69 68 75
Paul Symes
Press Officerreat chance for tomorrow.”
None of the overnight leaders managed to break par, as Matthew Zions’ round of 72 saw the Australian remain on 13 under par, whilst Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts dropped back to 11 under par after his 74, with Argentina’s Alan Wagner one shot further back after he signed for a three over par round of 75.
SCOREBOARD TO COME
Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Saturday, October 10, 2009
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