CITY OF NEWPORT, Wales -- Alessandro Tadini of Italy struggled to a 3-over 72 on Saturday to cling to the lead after the third round of The Celtic Manor Wales Open. Tadini completed 54 holes at 8-under-par 199 in search of his first career victory on the European Tour.
Local favorite Ian Woosnam, whose last stroke-play title came at the 1997 Volvo PGA Championship, carded a 68 to share second place with Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jose Manuel Lara and Jean-Francois Lucquin at 7-under-par 200. David Lynn was one shot further back at 6-under-par 201 after a round of 72.
Tadini, a winner on the Challenge Tour last season, fired a 62 on Friday on the Roman Road Course at Celtic Manor Resort to take a two-shot lead into the weekend. With damp and windy conditions greeting the players on Saturday, Tadini kept it together with a bogey and a birdie out of the gate until a double-bogey at the par-5 seventh dropped him back to 9 under.
The 31-year-old found further trouble with back-to-back bogeys from the eighth and dropped another shot at the 12th. Since almost everyone was struggling on the course, however, Tadini was never out of it and began to battle back with a birdie at the par-3 13th.
Tadini played his second shot inside 5 feet for a birdie at the par-4 14th to get to 8 under. He then ran off four straight pars down the stretch to hold the outright lead with one round to play.
Woosnam had a dreadful start with bogeys on each of his first three holes. He countered with a birdie at the fifth and hit his tee shot to 10 feet for a birdie at the par-3 11th.
The former Masters champion added a birdie at the 13th and reached the green in two at the par-5 16th. Woosnam lagged his eagle try within 4 feet of the hole and converted the birdie putt. He holed a clutch par save at the following hole and closed with a par at the last to finish within one of Tadini.
‘I’ll just try my best,’ said Woosnam. ‘I got off to a bad start today and I’ll just try and be patient tomorrow.’
Jimenez bogeyed his first two holes on Saturday, but he countered with a 10- footer for birdie at the third. He dropped another shot at the fifth, but chipped in for a birdie at the par-3 eighth and followed that up with a birdie at the ninth to make the turn at 8 under.
The Spaniard stumbled to back-to-back bogeys from the 13th, but tallied a birdie at the 16th for a round of 70.
Lucquin had three bogeys and two birdies over his first nine holes, but the Frenchman picked up his play early on the inward half. He collected back-to- back birdies starting at the 10th only to give a shot back with a bogey at the 13th.
He responded with a birdie at the 15th to move to minus-8, but found trouble with a bogey at the 17th en route to a round of 69,
Lara bogeyed two of his first three holes, but began his move up the leaderboard with a birdie at the seventh. He added a birdie at the 13th and converted a 10-foot putt for a birdie at the 16th. Lara then birdied the 17th for his share of second after a round of 67.
Nick Dougherty and Terry Price shot matching rounds of 65 to finish three shots back at 5-under-par 202. They were joined by Joakim Haeggman, Jose-Filipe Lima and James Heath in a tie for seventh.
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