Golf:Westwood breaks record to keep pace

By John Oakley in Hamburg

PAUL BROADHURST and Darren Clarke shared the joint lead after a day of phenomenal scoring in the third round of the Deutsche Bank SAP Open in Hamburg yesterday.

Both players shot 65 for three round aggregates of 198, 18 under par while Lee Westwood, one stroke behind the leaders, smashed the course record with a superb 61 to be in joint third place with US Masters winner Mark O'Meara.

But Colin Montgomerie, winner of the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth six days ago, could only stand and applaud playing partner Broadhurst's great play while he himself could manage a mere, level par 72.

Broadhurst was delighted to have played with the 34-year-old Scot. "I've always played pretty good when I've played with Monty in the past," said Broadhurst, who had seven birdies and no bogeys on his card.

"I made up six shots on Monty in the first nine holes but he wasn't exactly spraying it around. But I thought it might needle him if I holed some and he missed a few. I got off to a good start, holing from 25 feet at the first for a birdie and he missed from 15 feet.

"But I drove the ball really well today and my irons were pretty good so things turned out just right in the end."

Clarke, playing behind Broadhurst, made his 65 with a 32 out and 33 back, including birdies at both the 16th and 18th but believes that anyone within four shots of the lead could win this pounds 1,100,000 tournament today.

He does not believe, however, that Montgomerie will be in contention. "Monty's eight behind and I think even he will be struggling to win from there," said Clarke. "But Bernhard [Langer] is only five behind and nothing would surprise me about Bernhard in Germany."

Westwood's 61 included nine birdies and an eagle three at the long sixth and he was asked the inevitable question: "Was 59 on today?"

As Westwood missed six putts of 12 feet or less, including one of two- and-a half feet and one of five feet, it was a realistic inquiry but he replied: "If you are going to shoot 59 you've got to hole everything.''