Antalya, Turkey (SportsNetwork.com) – Wade Ormsby carded a 4-under 68 on
Saturday and grabbed a 1-shot lead with the third round of the Turkish
Airlines Open suspended due to darkness.
Ormsby finished 54 holes at 12-under-par 204. He will go for his first
European Tour win on Sunday.
Ian Poulter owned a 6-stroke lead when the second round was completed earlier
Saturday, but he stumbled to a 3-over 75 in round three and dropped into a tie
for second place at minus-11.
Poulter was joined there Lee Westwood (67) and Marcel Siem (66). Danny Willett
(66) and Brooks Koepka (70) are tied for fifth place at 10-under-par 206.
First-round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez managed a 1-under 71 at The
Montgomerie Maxx Royal. He is alone in seventh place at minus-9.
This is the penultimate event in the Race to Dubai. The top 60 in that race
qualify for next week’s season finale. Rory McIlroy leads that race, but Jamie
Donaldson, Sergio Garcia and Siem could pass him with wins at this event and
at next week’s season-ending, DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Siem carded 10 birdies and a lone bogey to soar into a share of second place
once play resumed Saturday morning. The second round was completed on Saturday
after being halted by inclement weather on Friday and delayed another hour at
the start of Saturday.
Garcia fired a 7-under 65, the low score of the third round, and he jumped
into a tie for 19th at 5-under 211. Donaldson posted a 70 and is well off the
pace at minus-2.
Poulter closed the second round with a birdie at 15 before he parred the final
three holes to lead by six entering the third round.
The Englishman bogeyed the first, then traded a birdie at the fourth for a
bogey at the fifth. He was three clear at that point, then parred five in a
row from the sixth.
Poulter’s drive at the par-5 11th stopped under a bush. He pitched across the
fairway, then laid up with his third. After reaching the green with his
fourth, he 2-putted for bogey and that trimmed his lead to one.
Ormsby parred his first five holes from the 10th. He birdied the 15th and made
eagle at the par-5 18th to get within two. Ormsby birdied the first for the
third day in a row, but gave that back when he bogeyed the third.
Poulter’s bogey at 11 left him one clear of Ormsby. After a three straight
pars, Ormsby grabbed a share of the lead with a 6-foot birdie putt at the
seventh. He parred out to end there.
“My game is good. I’m hitting it strong, putting good. But I just walked off
the ninth green and said to my caddie that I’ve actually missed a few putts
down the front nine,” Ormsby said. “As good a score as I’ve shot, I still feel
like I left a few out there. So I’ll just keep trying to do what I’m doing and
see how I end up.”
At the 15th, Poulter’s approach shot hit a tree and landed in a bunker. He
blasted his third into the rough short of the green. After another chip and
two putts, Poulter walked off the green with a double-bogey and he trailed
Ormsby by two.
Poulter managed to get one shot back as he stuffed his second shot at the 17th
within two feet and kicked that in for birdie. He parred the last to end at
11-under par.
“It’s brought obviously a lot of players back into the fray. Their dinner is
going to taste lovely tonight and mine is going to taste horrible,” Poulter
stated. “I’m most angry about the wedge shot, which led to a double. That’s
inexcusable for me to make that error right there. A simple wedge shot puts me
to 20 feet with an outside birdie look at worst, and I hit the tree, so I’m
going to be angry about that for a little while.”
Westwood had two birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the front nine. He wrapped
birdies at 11 and 13 around a bogey at the 12th. Westwood parred four in a row
before making birdie at the last to gain a share of second place.
Siem carded three birdies and a bogey on the front side before soaring into a
tie for second with four birdies on the inward nine.
NOTES: This is the first time Ormsby has the 54-hole lead on the European
Tour, and just the fourth time he led after any round in his tour career …
Alejandro Canizares is the lone player that needs to finish round three … He
will complete his final hole on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. local time.
