Stadler aiming for a wire-to-wire victory
AMERICAN Kevin Stadler remains on course for a wire-to-wire victory in the Alstom Open de France after a testing third round which saw just three players break 70.
Although the world No. 62 could only manage a one-over-par 72 yesterday, the wet and windy conditions meanthefinishedthedayfourahead of France’s Victor Riu and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
Jaidee’s 69 would have been even better if not for a bogey on the 18th, while US Open champion Martin Kaymer is six off the lead after a 70.
“I think since the first day he’s running away a little bit, so I guess he likes the golf course as much as I do,” Kaymer said of Stadler, who won his first PGATour title in Phoenix in February.
“So I think it will be difficult to catch him.
“If the weather stays like this, I just need to shoot a very, very low score tomorrow. If you get within two or threeshotsofhim, hemightgetsome nerves the last three or four holes because it’s a tough finish.
“But the way he plays golf and the way I know him, he’s a very laid-back guy so it will be difficult to catch him. I can only try to shoot as low as I can to be happy with myself.”
Stadler carded one bogey and eight pars on the front nine and that allowed Riu to claim a share of the lead when he recorded his second birdie of the day on the ninth.
At that point the 29-year-old from Paris was the only player in the field not to have dropped a shot, but a bogey promptly arrived on the 10th after he drove into the water and Stadler holed from 10 feet for birdie for a two-shot swing.
Riu bounced straight back with a birdie on the 11th but then carded fivebogeysandabirdieinthenextsix holes, managing his only par of the back nine on the 18th.
Stadler was far more consistent with seven pars and a bogey on the 17th, despite struggling with a back injury which flared up during the round.
“It’s a little tight,” the 34-year-old said. “It’s been a little out of whack all week. Luckilyitdidn’tgivemeawhole lot of trouble the first couple of days, but today it turned up a bit. I’m still able to swing so should be fine.
“I got about what I deserved out of my game today. I didn’t play that great, made a whole lot of pars and did not have nearly as many looks for birdie as I had the last couple days, but you can’t expect to play that well for four days in a row.
“I knew I really didn’t have to do anything crazy today. A couple less would have been nice, but overall I’m happy the way it went.”
Defending champion Graeme McDowell is eight shots off the pace after a rollercoaster 73 which featured four bogeys, one double bogey and four birdies in the space of five holes from the fifth.
“It was tough to find a rhythm,” McDowell said.
“It was nice to string a few birdies together and get myself back into it and as I made the turn I was feeling good about myself, my swing and my position in the tournament.
“My swing off the 10th and 13th tee has been haunting me a bit, I’m just not committing to those shots and missing them all l eft. I’m disappointed with that back nine (39) because I really felt like I swung the club decently today.”
ON the PGA Tour Billy Hurley III hasatwo-shotleadgoingintotoday’s final round of the Greenbrier Classic.
A third-round three-under-par 67 saw him move onto a 12- under 54- hole total of 198. Nearest challenger Angel Cabrera fired a sixunder 64 to get into contention.