Faldo hovering

GOLF

Nick Faldo shot a one-under-par 70 to move to within three shots of the lead after the third round of the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head Island, North Carolina.

Faldo, who shot a second-round 64, is on 208, five under par, while the lead is shared by the Americans Mark McCumber, David Edwards, and Gene Sauers and South Africa's David Frost.

In perfect conditions at the seaside course, McCumber shot a third-round 64, while Edwards and Frost both went round in 66. Gil Morgan fell a stroke short of the course record with a 62, moving into a group on 206 that includes Tom Watson, Payne Stewart and Scott Hoch.

Level with the second-round leader, Tom Lehman, at six under were the US Open champion, Ernie Els, Steve Lowery, Steve Jones, Peter Jacobson, John Daly and Loren Roberts.

Altogether, 31 of the 78-strong field bettered 70 but that did not include Lehman. He started with a four-stroke lead but had bogeys on the first and ninth holes, then he took a double bogey at 12 and a bogey on 13, finally finishing with a 75.

The Swedish Ryder Cup player, Joakim Haeggman, broke the course record with a six-under-par 66 before gale-force winds disrupted the third round of the Catalonia Open in Girona yesterday. Haeggman's round included five holes before the wind was at its height and left him on 216, level par for the tournament and the leader in the clubhouse. Of the 71 starters, only 35 had completed their rounds when play was halted.

At that time Wales' Phillip Price was leading overall at six under par but had played only four holes. The wind blew so strongly at times that a hoarding crashed to the ground and ripped out a divot on the 18th green while the press tent had to be evacuated for fear of collapse.

Scores, Sporting Digest, page 25