Leaders pegged back in Spain
Birdies and eagles were the order of the day again at the Canaries Spanish Open in Tenerife today – but overnight leaders Paul Casey and Miles Tunnicliff both missed out at the start of their third rounds.
The pair, 15 under par overnight and two clear of the field at the Costa Adeje shoot-out in the sun, both paid a price for pulling their approaches to the 539-yard first.
They each had to settle for fives and a glance at the leaderboard would have told them it immediately cost them top spot.
That was because former Ryder Cup player David Gilford, who survived the European tour record halfway cut of six under with only a stroke to spare, produced a joint best of the week 63 to reach 16 under.
Gilford, without a victory since a 1994 season in which he captured both the European Open and Tenerife Open at nearby Golf de Sur, had four birdies in an outward 32, then five more coming home in 31.
But the 37-year-old from Crewe was not starting to dream about the £201,731 first prize yet. Virtually every hole was a birdie or eagle chance and they were coming thick and fast again.
German Marcel Siem, in the second group of the day after squeezing through the cut, had a 64 to move to 14 under, while Swede Peter Hedblom joined Casey in second place on 15 under with four birdies in his first five holes just as Tunnicliff bogeyed the short second.
No fewer than eight players were on 14 under, Jose Maria Olazabal among them after a birdie at the first which had an element of good luck about it.
Olazabal, seeking his first Spanish Open, skipped over the guarding bunker in front of the green and two-putted for his four.
Compatriot Sergio Garcia, trying to become the first player since Max Faulkner 50 years ago to make a successful defence of the title, was 13 under with three to play – and that was good enough only for 13th spot with a whole stack of others who were expecting to push him further down.
