| Van
de Velde sees lead vanish France's
Jean Van de Velde found his lead all but wiped out midway through the final round
of the 128th Open Championship at Carnoustie. Van
de Velde, attempting to become the first French winner since 1907, began the last
day five shots clear of the field after his fine third round of 70 yesterday. His
advantage had disappeared however after only eight holes as Australian Craig Parry
joined him at the top of the leaderboard. But
a brave birdie at the ninth edge the 33-year-old back in front again by just one
shot from Parry. Van
de Velde managed to save par at the first with a superb recovery shot played from
an awkward stance on the edge of a fairway bunker, but dropped shots at the second
and third. Parry's
birdie at the third from just four feet made it a two shot swing and he repeated
the trick at the eighth to grab a share of the lead. Van
de Velde's tee shot left him 50ft short of the flag and three putts cost him a
third bogey of the day while Parry rolled in a nine foot birdie effort to get
to three over. That
seemed to take some of the pressure off Van de Velde and he smashed a massive
drive down the 474-yard ninth, pitched to 15ft and holed the putt to go two over
par, reaching the turn in 38. Parry
was three over after a fine outward 34 with 1997 champion Justin Leonard two shots
further back after a bogey on the 10th. Tiger
Woods was yet to make a move with 11 straight pars keeping him seven over, the
world number one still without a birdie since the 14th hole on Friday. Aberdeen's
Paul Lawrie was leading the home challenge also at seven over after 16 holes,
three under for his round today. Lawrie
then birdied the 17th and saved par from a greenside bunker on the last to complete
a superb round of 67, equalling the lowest round of the championship so far. His
six over total of 290 set the clubhouse target for everyone to beat and almost
certainly assured him of a place at the Masters in Augusta next year, on offer
for a top-four finish. Meanwhile
Parry assumed the lead on his own for the first time after a birdie from 25ft
on the 10th and a Van de Velde bogey on the 11th. Parry
steadied his nerves somewhat with a par at the 14th only to see Van de Velde find
the green on the 515-yard hole in two and two putt for a birdie four.
That took him back
to three over and almost immediately a two shot lead as Leonard up ahead dropped
a shot at the 15th.
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