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Clarke & Karlsson share lead

Darren Clarke birdied the final hole on Saturday to pull into a tie for the lead with Robert Karlsson at nine-under 207 after 54 holes of the Spanish Open. Clarke posted an even-par 72 in the third round while Karlsson was one-under with a 71.

Soren Hansen is alone in third at seven-under while Miguel Angel Jimenez and Carl Pettersson share fourth at minus-six.

Winds howled at El Saler and Clarke, who shared the second-round lead with Andrew Raitt, opened with a bogey at the first. He regained the lost stroke with a birdie at four but dropped another shot at six. Clarke finished with a front-nine, one-over 37.

Clarke birdied the par-five 11th for the third consecutive day but gave one back with his second bogey of the week at number-12. He parred the next five before he drained a 25-footer for birdie at 18 to grab his share of the lead.

"Somebody turned the light on for me at Augusta," said Clarke, a seven-time winner on the European Tour. "And I'm hitting the ball the best I have for a long, long time.

"I know that I could be far better than just sharing the lead but I can't do much about it if the putts won't drop. But I had 36 putts for a 72 in those conditions. I had 29 putts each of the first two days, as well."

Karlsson had the lead to himself after back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11. He added another at the 15th but staggered down the stretch.

He bogeyed 17 and then had to hit a provisional ball on 18 after he drove into the dunes. Karlsson bogeyed the hole and coupled with Clarke's birdie at 18, fell into a tie for the lead.

Sunday's final round will mark the third time this season that Karlsson will have an opportunity to earn his fourth career victory on the European Tour.

"This is the third time I have been in the last group already this year," said Karlsson. "And if you play well on the last day, sooner or later you win one of them."

Hansen was steady with two birdies and no bogeys on Saturday for a 70.

Raitt and Jarmo Sandelin, who played in the final threesome with Clarke, struggled on Saturday. Raitt double-bogeyed the first and then carded five bogeys over his last seven holes for seven-over 79. Sandelin drove out of bounds at 16 and double-bogeyed the hole to post a four-over 76.

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