Bjorn, Lynn and Campbell share lead going into final round

Thomas Bjorn shares the lead going into the Irish Open final round, the second straight week the Dane has been ahead at that stage of a tournament.

Bjorn will hope for a better result this time after the late collapse that cost him the British Open title last Sunday, when he led at Royal St George's by three strokes going to the 15th hole of his final round.

The Dane birdied the last hole at Portmarnock for a four-under-par 68, an erratic round containing eight birdies and four bogeys, as he moved to 10-under-par 206, level with New Zealand's Michael Campbell and second-round leader David Lynn of Britain.

On a see-saw afternoon at the Dublin links, six players headed the leaderboard, but Bjorn's recovery from a 74 previous day was most significant.

Out in four-under-par the British Open runner-up would have led on his own without the three bogeys he mixed with three birdies over the last six holes, but the Dane put his recovery down to a big sleep.

"I was very, very tired when I shot my 74 in the second round, a lot to do with coming out here to face up to things and all the hard work I've put in over the last three weeks," said Bjorn, whose double-bogey from a bunker last Sunday handed the British Open to Ben Curtis.

"Last night I slept for nine hours and woke up feeling as though it was only 15 minutes and came back fresh again," he added.

"I came here (to Portmarnock) with one thing on my mind after what happened in the Open and that was doing the right things with my golf and no matter what happens tomorrow, I know I'm going in the right direction."

While Bjorn tries to improve on two second places this season, Campbell, who the day before pledged himself to the European Tour, looks on a victory as 'getting a huge weight off my shoulders' following a poor season.

The New Zealander is especially anxious to win in front of his parents, Maria and Thomas, who have travelled with him this week.

Lynn could also relieve himself of quite a weight. Having had two previous career runner-up finishes and four top-10s this year, the 29-year-old Englishman is trying to become the European Tour's 14th first-time winner this season.

The leading trio are a shot better than Sweden's Robert Karlsson and another Briton, recent British Masters winner Greg Owen.

Karlsson was another to top the leaderboard, as was Australian Peter Lonard, who finished a further shot back.

Irishman Peter Lawrie, the sixth player to lead during the afternoon, disappointed a huge gallery with late dropped shots to fall three strokes off the pace.

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