McIlroy takes 4-stroke lead

By Rahul Banerji

Crans Montana, Switzerland

Sept. 6: Irish teenager Rory McIlroy threatens to make it a pole-position to finish line run at the Euro 2 million Omega European Masters at the Crans Sur Sierre Golf Club here. On Friday, day three of the event, he stood as the lone leader on 13 under par 200, four strokes ahead of a six-man chasing pack.

Having carded an outstanding eight under on the opening day and keeping his second round down to par and a share of the lead with defending champion Brett Rumford of Australia, the hard-charging Ulsterman opening the day in style — with an eagle on the 540-yard par-5 first hole, and kept going away from the field thereafter.

Rumford threatened briefly early on when he too eagled the opening hole, but a spate of bogies dogged his round and all but put paid to his chances of retaining his title won last year in dramatic fashion. The 31-year-old from Perth was tied 16th, seven strokes behind the leader on 207.

Strung out behind McIlroy are Juan Abbate of Argentina, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Frenchmen Christian Cevaer and Jean-Francois Lucquin, local hope Julian Clement and Englishmen Robert Dimwiddie all on nine under 204 for the three days.

Though McIlroy’s round was dotted with three bogeys, the first-hole eagle and six subsequent birdies were good enough to show there were no nerves at work on this young man, though it was Dimwiddie, who returned the day’s best card of seven under par 64 to McIlroy’s five under 66.

Dinwiddie had birdied the final hole to take the clubhouse lead his 64 taking him to nine under for the tournament, but McIlroy still had to finish at that point. The Englishman opened with an eagle at the par five first and the early momentum stayed with him as he birdied the third.

A dropped shot at six was cancelled out with another birdie at seven and Dinwiddie picked up four shots on his back nine. McIlroy stayed the pace, his bogies on the 4th, 10th and 12th holes more than cancelled out by birdies on the 3rd, 5th and 7th holes on his outbound nine holes.

He then saved strokes on the 13th, 15th and 17th holes on his homebound nine to not only keep his momemtum going, but also the lead.

If McIlroy does go the distance on Sunday, he will become the third youngest winner in Tour history, just five days older than Spanish legend Sereriano Ballesteros was at the 1976 Dutch Open.