England’s John Parry has continued his Vivendi Trophy form into this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and will take a two-shot lead into the final round.
Having led overnight, Parry played the third leg of his tournament at Carnoustie and shot a one-under par round of 71 to add to his 67 (Kingsbarns) and 65 (St. Andrews) to close on 13-under par 203 for 54 holes. Parry, like the remainder of the field, will now head back to St. Andrews for the final round.
Parry, who could pocket a €500,000 jackpot just two weeks after claiming his first tour win in Paris, had at one point been five shots clear, but the chasing pack were able to close him down, and he now leads by just two shots from big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and Ryder Cup team member Martin Kaymer.
Kaymer might have finished closer but for a bogey on the last. Kaymer was also playing Carnoustie for his third round, but the Race to Dubai leader and US PGA champion still fancies his chances of a third successive win – four if one can include the victorious Ryder Cup match.
Kaymer’s 68 was matched by Quiros, who was also playing Carnoustie and both the German and the Spaniard share identical scores for their first three rounds.
With the top three in the places all playing Carnoustie, England’s Danny Willett moved into fourth place with a 67 at Kingsbarns to close at nine-under par. Willet, a Walker Cup team-mate of both Parry and Rory McIlroy, carded six birdies and a bogey during his round and might look to a poor finish at Carnoustie in his second round as a cause for not being closer to the lead. Willet bogeyed the final three rounds there enroute to a second round 73.
Lee Westwood could become the new world number one with a win or second place finish and the Worksop player blitzed Carnoustie in 66 strokes despite feeling discomfort from his troublesome ankle that kept him out for several weeks. Westwood had thought about withdrawing after the first round, but elected to carry on after doctors told him the injury was unlikely to get worse.
“I last about nine holes before it starts getting sore,” Westwood said afterwards, and rates himself only 50-50 to defend the Portugal Masters title next week.
“My main priority is to get into shape for The Masters at Augusta next April. What I don’t want to do is keep going around in circles and have to rehab it all the time.”
“I want to get back to it being 100 per cent if I can. I got it back to a state where I could play The Ryder Cup, but I needed to take time off after that to finish the recuperation and I’ve not allowed myself to do that.”
Westwood shares eight-under par with fellow Englishman Gary Boyd and Wales’ Phillip Price, whilst another fellow Ryder Cup team-mate – Ireland’s Padraig Harrington – is seven-under par, one ahead of Celtic Manor hero Graeme McDowell.
Of the tipster trio, Simon Dyson leads the way at five under par, tied for fifteenth place while Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy are two-under and one-under par respectively.
