John
Bickerton uses ten birdies to move into lead
John Bickerton
of Britain had 10 birdies in the third round today, wound up with an 8-under-par
64 and tied for the lead in the Portuguese Open. Fellow
Briton Van Phillips and Massimo Scarpa of Italy both shot 68s and joined Bickerton
at 208. The three
share a one-stroke edge over Australian Wayne Riley and Scotland's Paul Lawrie.
American Bob May
was one of three players at 210. May had a 71 on Saturday.
Another American, Gerry Norquist, was the leader in the clubhouse for a while
after a 66 gave him a 54-hole score of 213.
He highlighted his round with a hole-in-one on the 13th -- the ninth ace of his
career. The 36-year-old,
whose victory in the Malaysian Open put him in third place on the PGA European
Tour money list, also had three birdies the back nine.
Bickerton started the day six shots behind the second-round leader, Des Smyth
of Ireland. Smyth opened with a bogey and birdied only once through the round,
which he finished with a 76, dropping to 214. | 
