Echenique leads after 3rd round of French Open
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Rafa Echenique of Argentina held onto his lead at the French Open on Saturday, shooting a 1-under 70 for a one-stroke advantage over Martin Kaymer of Germany after the third round.
The Argentine was at 11-under 202 after starting the day with a two-stroke lead on Kaymer.
“Just a little nervous today,” said Echenique, who is seeking his first victory on the European Tour. “On No. 1, I missed a putt from one or two feet. I was not relaxed on the first three holes. But after that, I made long putts on the No. 4 and the No. 5.”
Paul Waring of England had a 68 to climb from seventh to third, two strokes off the lead and one better than compatriot Seve Benson, who also shot a 68.
Benson had a share of fourth with Richard Green of Australia (70) and Peter Hanson of Sweden (70).
England’s Lee Westwood (70) and Ian Poulter (66), four and five strokes back respectively, also remained in contention.
“I didn’t miss a fairway, I didn’t miss a green so it was pretty flawless,” said Poulter, a runner-up at the British Open last year. “Apart from the second shot into the last (hole), which I thought was pathetic, I was already thinking about my lunch. … It was pretty clinical.”
Echenique was briefly caught by the chasing pack after the turn when he fell into a tie for the lead with Waring and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa at 10 under.
A runner-up at the BMW International Open in Munich last weekend, Echenique started his third round slowly with a bogey on the first hole.
Waring, ranked No. 130 on the European Tour, hit an approach from the rough that landed a few feet from the pin on No. 6 and helped him tie Echenique atop the leaderboard at 9 under.
But Echenique regained a two-stroke lead by sinking two straight birdies, including a 20-foot putt on the fourth.
Another bogey from Echenique on the eighth again cut his lead, allowing Schwartzel to pull even at 10 under with two consecutive birdies.
Waring picked up a shot on the 13th to join them, but he slipped back to third with a bogey on 14th, the longest hole on the Golf National course.
Schwartzel’s run was marred by three bogeys in four holes, dropping the South African to a share of seventh and leaving Echenique in charge.
Kaymer dropped a shot on his first hole, but played solidly the rest of the way. The European Tour’s 2007 rookie of the year sank two straight birdies — after an approach on the sixth that stopped one foot from the cup and a 13-foot putt on No. 7.
“There were a lot of very difficult pins today,” Kaymer said. “… I played very safe. It was pretty much my strategy for today and it’s going to be the same for tomorrow.”
Related News
Kaymer goes to British Open with back-to-back victoriesJuly 12th, 2009 Kaymer wins Scottish Open for 2nd straight winLUSS, Scotland — Martin Kaymer has won the Scottish Open, closing with a 2-under 69 in the rain and sunshine at Loch Lomond for his second straight European Tour victory. Kaymer broke out of a three-way tie as he approached the turn Sunday, then stretched his lead to as many as three shots.
Kaymer wins French Open by beating Westwood on 1st hole of playoffJuly 5th, 2009 Kaymer tops Westwood in playoff to win French OpenSAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Martin Kaymer of Germany won the French Open on Sunday, beating Lee Westwood of England in the first hole of a playoff. The 2007 Rookie of the Year on the European Tour kept his composure in a dramatic finish on Sunday to clinch his third title after having missed chances on the last few holes.
Echenique snatches lead from Kaymer after 2nd round of French OpenJuly 3rd, 2009 Echenique leads after 2nd round of French OpenSAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Rafa Echenique of Argentina took a two-stroke lead at the French Open after shooting a 4-under 67 on Friday. Echenique reached 10-under 132 to sit ahead of a trio that included overnight leader Martin Kaymer of Germany, who shot a 72 after tying the course record with a 62 on Thursday.
Kaymer ties course record with 9-under 62 to lead French Open by 3 shots after first roundJuly 2nd, 2009 Kaymer leads after first round of French OpenSAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Martin Kaymer of Germany leads the French Open by three strokes after the first round, tying the course record with a 9-under 62. Kaymer overcame a painful blister on his right foot and a bad start with an eagle on No.
England's Nick Dougherty shoots 64 to win BMW International Open by 1 strokeJune 28th, 2009 England's Dougherty wins BMW International OpenMUNICH — Nick Dougherty shot a final-round 64 to win the BMW International Open by one stroke on Sunday, although he was nearly upstaged by one of the most rare shots in golf. The 27-year-old Englishman finished at 22-under 266, and wound up holding off Rafa Echenique after the Argentine produced an albatross — a two on a par-5 — on the 18th hole to complete his 10-under 62.
Fred Funk holds second-round lead at 15 under at Dick's Sporting Goods OpenJune 27th, 2009 Funk leads after second round at En-JoieENDICOTT, N.Y. — Fred Funk shot a 7-under 65 Saturday to take a three-stroke lead after the second round at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
A look at the key hole in the first round of the US OpenJune 20th, 2009 The key hole at the US OpenFARMINGDALE, N.Y. — A look at the key hole in the fourth round of the U.S.
Drysdale finally qualifies for British Open after 9 previous failuresJune 8th, 2009 Echenique, Storm lead British Open qualifyingSUNNINGDALE, England — Rafa Echenique and Graeme Storm led qualifying for the British Open and David Drysdale used a hole-in-one to qualify in his 10th try. Echenique and Storm were tied at 130 on Monday after two rounds of international final qualifying at Sunningdale, where 96 players were competing for 10 spots in next month's tournament at Turnberry.
Ramsay shoots 67 to lead by 1 after 2nd round of Wales Open; Pavin makes the cutJune 5th, 2009 Ramsay leads by 1 after 2nd round of Wales OpenNEWPORT, Wales — Richie Ramsay of Scotland shot a 4-under 67 on Friday to lead the Wales Open after the second round, while U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin made the cut with some help from the weather.
Defending champion Ana Ivanovic loses to Victoria Azarenka in fourth round at French OpenMay 31st, 2009 Defending champion Ivanovic loses at French OpenPARIS — Defending champion Ana Ivanovic has lost at the French Open, losing to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round. The eighth-seeded Serb called for a trainer to look at her neck before the final game of the first set on Sunday.
Christian Cevaer of France wins European Open by 1 stroke after making par at difficult 18thMay 31st, 2009 Christian Cevaer wins European Open by 1 strokeASH, England — Christian Cevaer won the European Open by one stroke on Sunday, making par at the difficult 18th hole for a 2-over 74. The Frenchman totaled 7-under 281 at the London Golf Club to beat Steve Webster (71), Gary Orr (71) and Alvaro Quiros (72).
2nd-seeded Serena Williams rallies to advance to 4th round at French OpenMay 30th, 2009 Serena Williams reaches 4th round at French OpenPARIS — Serena Williams rallied to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday, beating Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The second-seeded Williams seemed to have trouble dealing with her opponent's serve-and-volley tactics, and piled up plenty of unforced errors.
Andy Roddick advances to 4th round at French Open for 1st time in careerMay 30th, 2009 Roddick reaches French 4th round for 1st timePARIS — Andy Roddick advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in his career, beating Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 Saturday. The sixth-seeded Roddick is only the second American to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003.
Defending champion Ana Ivanovic advances to 4th round at French Open with easy winMay 29th, 2009 Ivanovic advances to 4th round at French OpenPARIS — Defending champion Ana Ivanovic made it through another easy match at the French Open, beating 32nd-seeded Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2 Friday to advance to the fourth round. The eighth-seeded Ivanovic was taken to a tiebreaker in her opening match at Roland Garros, but she has lost only eight games since then.
Venus Williams loses in 3rd round of French Open to 31st-seeded Agnes SzavayMay 29th, 2009 Venus Williams loses in 3rd round of French OpenPARIS — Venus Williams lost in the third round of the French Open for the third straight year, falling to Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-0, 6-4 Friday. The third-seeded Williams was playing for the third straight day at Roland Garros.
Loading ...