Darren Clarke has finished the third round of the Benson & Hedges International Open on three-under par for the tournament after hitting a 68 at the Belfry this afternoon.
Clarke’s four under par round contrasts sharply to yesterday’s second round score of 76 four over par where he narrowly avoided missing the cut.
Clarke, the winner here in 1998, bogeyed the first, but birdied the next three and then added another on the ninth to turn in 33 at two under.
Spain's Jose Manuel Lara set the early pace by playing the first 12 holes in five-under-par. However, he then dropped shots at the 13th, 16th, and 18th holes to finish on 69 - two-under-par for the tournament.
Dubliner Paul McGinley has yet to tee off but is nicely poised on six under par.He is four shots off the lead set by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.Padraig Harrington lies on four under par and teed off at 1.05pm.
Meanwhile, European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance has withdrawn from the competition.Torrance, who was lying joint third after the second round, had a rib muscle injury.
Additional reporting Reuters