Rumford Keeping Heat On Leaders
Central Coast Herald
Monday January 19, 2004
SOMERSET WEST: Denmark's Anders Hansen and local player Craig Lile defied strong winds to move into a share of the third-round lead in the South African Open at Erinvale Golf Club on Saturday.
Hansen, who won the Volvo Masters in 2002 before losing interest in the game, fired a four-under 68.
Lile, one of three overnight leaders, bounced back from an opening bogey to card a 70.
The pair finished at nine-under 207, a stroke ahead of Britain's Stephen Webster, who returned a five-under 67.
Defending champion Trevor Immelman, of South Africa, had a 69 and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin a 70 to be a further shot back in a tie for fourth at seven under.
Australia's Brett Rumford is in a group of three players four shots off the pace after a 73, while countryman Marcus Fraser is a shot further back after an impressive third-round 67.
Seven-time European No.1 Colin Montgomerie rallied from his second-round 78 with a three-under-par 69 but will start Sunday's final round eight shots off the pace.
At one point on Saturday, six golfers were within a stroke of the lead.
But the difficult par-five 16th and par-four 17th, both played directly into the teeth of the wind, yielded a host of dropped shots.
Immelman bogeyed both holes, Lile dropped at the 16th, and Webster and Jacquelin also ran up bogey fives at the 17th.
Hansen, playing his first tournament in three months, was delighted with his score.
``It's hard for me to realise that I am leading the tournament," the Dane said.
``I haven't played golf in two months, so coming out here I was really only hoping to make the cut."
© 2004 Central Coast Herald
