Rory McIlroy goes four shots clear
in Omega European Masters
FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Nineteen-year-old Rory McIlroy outplayed defending champion Brett Rumford today and will take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
If the Ulsterman takes the title and the £268,010 first prize McIlroy will become the third youngest winner in European Tour history.
South African Dale Hayes was only 18 when he won the 1971 Spanish Open, while Seve Ballesteros was just five days younger than McIlroy at the 1976 Dutch Open - the first of his record 50 Tour victories.
Rumford, joint top at halfway with the Northern Ireland teenager, threw down the gauntlet with an opening 40ft eagle putt.
But McIlroy had already hit his approach to the par 5 to three feet, made the putt for a matching eagle 3 and by adding six birdies went on to score a 66 to the Australian's 73.
That took last year's leading amateur at the Open, who began his first trip to Crans-sur-Sierre with a 63 on Thursday, to 13 under par and continued a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes after missing the last three halfway cuts.
Rory's closest challengers now, all on nine under, are England's Robert Dinwiddie, French pair Christian Cevaer and Jean-Francois Lucquin, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Argentina's Juan Abbate and also Julien Clement, a Swiss player who does not have a European Tour card and is ranked 779th in the world.
McIlroy's professional career is still not quite one year old. He left the amateur ranks after winning a Walker Cup cap and within a month had finished third in the Dunhill Links at St Andrews and fourth at the Madrid Open.
As a result he did not have to go to the tour qualifying school, but until this week his 2008 campaign had not delivered in the way many people expected.
He is 89th on the Order of Merit, only six places higher than he managed in four starts last year. But winning tomorrow could more than double his money and put him 33rd.
HOW THEY STAND
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
200 Rory McIlroy 63 71 66
204 Juan Abbate (Arg) 68 67 69, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 68 71 65, Robert Dinwiddie 76 64 64, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 68 69, Julien Clement (Swi) 69 68 67, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 68 67 69
205 Gary Orr 67 71 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 68 69 68, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 70 66, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 67 70 68, Julio Zapata (Arg) 66 72 67
206 Mark Foster 72 66 68, Ross McGowan 67 73 66, Barry Lane 71 70 65
207 Brett Rumford (Aus) 67 67 73, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 67 70 70, David Griffiths 70 69 68, Sven Struver (Ger) 72 69 66, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 71 66 70, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 69 70 68, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 72 70 65
208 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 69 70 69, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 69 71 68, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 72 66, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 71 66 71, Paul Waring 71 71 66, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 68 71, Peter Lawrie 67 69 72, Simon Dyson 69 67 72, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 67 72, Tom Whitehouse 72 68 68
209 Garry Houston 66 73 70, Jan Are Larsen (Nor) 71 71 67, Peter Baker 70 70 69, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 70 72 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 71 68
210 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 69 68 73, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 69 71, Robert Rock 72 68 70, Mattias Eliasson (Swe) 70 72 68, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 71 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 70 70 70
211 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 68 72 71, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 73 68 70, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 70 69 72, Andrew Marshall 70 70 71, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 71 68 72, Ariel Canete (Arg) 69 72 70, Miles Tunnicliff 71 69 71, Bradley Dredge 69 70 72
212 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 71 71 70, Steve Alker (Nzl) 71 70 71, Matthew Millar (Aus) 70 72 70, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 72 70 70, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 73 69 70
213 Scott Barr (Aus) 69 68 76, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 67 72 74, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 68 73 72, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) 71 71 71, Simon Griffiths 76 66 71, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 70 72 71
214 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 73 72, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 71 69 74, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 71 68 75, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 68 71 75
215 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 69 70 76, Ken Benz (Swi) 68 74 73, Florian Praegant (Aut) 72 70 73
216 Craig Lee 73 69 74, Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 71 69 76, Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 71 74, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 74 68 74
217 Francis Valera (Spa) 73 67 77
in Omega European Masters
FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Nineteen-year-old Rory McIlroy outplayed defending champion Brett Rumford today and will take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
If the Ulsterman takes the title and the £268,010 first prize McIlroy will become the third youngest winner in European Tour history.
South African Dale Hayes was only 18 when he won the 1971 Spanish Open, while Seve Ballesteros was just five days younger than McIlroy at the 1976 Dutch Open - the first of his record 50 Tour victories.
Rumford, joint top at halfway with the Northern Ireland teenager, threw down the gauntlet with an opening 40ft eagle putt.
But McIlroy had already hit his approach to the par 5 to three feet, made the putt for a matching eagle 3 and by adding six birdies went on to score a 66 to the Australian's 73.
That took last year's leading amateur at the Open, who began his first trip to Crans-sur-Sierre with a 63 on Thursday, to 13 under par and continued a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes after missing the last three halfway cuts.
Rory's closest challengers now, all on nine under, are England's Robert Dinwiddie, French pair Christian Cevaer and Jean-Francois Lucquin, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Argentina's Juan Abbate and also Julien Clement, a Swiss player who does not have a European Tour card and is ranked 779th in the world.
McIlroy's professional career is still not quite one year old. He left the amateur ranks after winning a Walker Cup cap and within a month had finished third in the Dunhill Links at St Andrews and fourth at the Madrid Open.
As a result he did not have to go to the tour qualifying school, but until this week his 2008 campaign had not delivered in the way many people expected.
He is 89th on the Order of Merit, only six places higher than he managed in four starts last year. But winning tomorrow could more than double his money and put him 33rd.
HOW THEY STAND
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3 x 71)
200 Rory McIlroy 63 71 66
204 Juan Abbate (Arg) 68 67 69, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 68 71 65, Robert Dinwiddie 76 64 64, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 68 69, Julien Clement (Swi) 69 68 67, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 68 67 69
205 Gary Orr 67 71 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 68 69 68, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 70 66, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 67 70 68, Julio Zapata (Arg) 66 72 67
206 Mark Foster 72 66 68, Ross McGowan 67 73 66, Barry Lane 71 70 65
207 Brett Rumford (Aus) 67 67 73, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 67 70 70, David Griffiths 70 69 68, Sven Struver (Ger) 72 69 66, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 71 66 70, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 69 70 68, Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 72 70 65
208 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 69 70 69, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 69 71 68, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 72 66, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 71 66 71, Paul Waring 71 71 66, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 68 71, Peter Lawrie 67 69 72, Simon Dyson 69 67 72, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 69 67 72, Tom Whitehouse 72 68 68
209 Garry Houston 66 73 70, Jan Are Larsen (Nor) 71 71 67, Peter Baker 70 70 69, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 70 72 67, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 71 68
210 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 69 68 73, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 69 71, Robert Rock 72 68 70, Mattias Eliasson (Swe) 70 72 68, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 71 69, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 70 70 70
211 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 68 72 71, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 73 68 70, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 70 69 72, Andrew Marshall 70 70 71, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 71 68 72, Ariel Canete (Arg) 69 72 70, Miles Tunnicliff 71 69 71, Bradley Dredge 69 70 72
212 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 71 71 70, Steve Alker (Nzl) 71 70 71, Matthew Millar (Aus) 70 72 70, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 72 70 70, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 73 69 70
213 Scott Barr (Aus) 69 68 76, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 67 72 74, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 68 73 72, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn) 71 71 71, Simon Griffiths 76 66 71, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 70 72 71
214 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 73 72, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 71 69 74, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 71 68 75, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 68 71 75
215 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 69 70 76, Ken Benz (Swi) 68 74 73, Florian Praegant (Aut) 72 70 73
216 Craig Lee 73 69 74, Benoit Teilleria (Fra) 71 69 76, Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 71 74, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 74 68 74
217 Francis Valera (Spa) 73 67 77
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Saturday, September 06, 2008
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