BRIDGEND, Wales (AP) — Bernhard Langer moved closer to
his second Senior British Open title on Saturday after shooting a
3-under 68 at Royal Porthcawl for a 14-under 199 and an eight-stroke
lead.
Langer won the title at Carnoustie in 2010 but lost in a
playoff at Royal Birkdale last year. He also led going into the final
round at Turnberry in 2012, only to fade on the final day.
That
seems unlikely to happen again on Sunday given the German’s three-day
master class on the sun-kissed South Wales links with earlier rounds of
65 and 66.
Langer had to settle for his third round’s fourth
birdie on the 18th after missing an eagle chance from 10 feet. He
dropped his only shot on the par-4 10th.
"I played very nicely,
got off to a good start … Then I maybe played a little safe for a
couple of holes," Langer said. "I can’t believe how far I hit it on the
last."
Canadian Rick Gibson was Langer’s nearest challenger on
6-under 207 after a 66, hitting back with six birdies after dropping a
shot at the first. Bob Tway of the United States was third, a further
stroke back after a 68.
Americans Tom Watson and Scott Dunlap
shared fourth place on 209 with England’s Chris Williams, while
Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, England’s Barry Lane and Fred Couples of
the United States were tied for seventh on 210.
Montgomerie,
bidding for his third successive senior major, matched Langer’s 32 over
the front nine but then slipped to a 4-over 40 coming home.
"Bernhard’s
the best player out here and he’s proving it," said Montgomerie. "I had
a horrendous back nine, now the best I can do is second."
Tenth-placed
Jeff Sluman had a superb opening to his third round with four straight
birdie threes, before dropping a stroke at the short No. 5. He then
eagled the long sixth and birdied the seventh. He finished with two pars
to be out in a week’s best 6-under 29 but the American couldn’t sustain
it, dropping three shots and picking up just one birdie to be back in
38 for a round of 67.
Playing partner Dunlap was five strokes
worse than Sluman on the way out, but then came back in 31 with three
birdies and an eagle, for a 65.
Between them they had a 13-under betterball score of 58.
Philip Walton equaled the record low round of the week of 64 to move from 7 over to level par 213.
The
Irishman had four birdies and dropped just one shot on the way out,
then had five birdies and one bogey on the way home for two nines of 32.
New
Zealand’s Greg Turner recorded the first ace of the week when he holed
his 9- iron tee shot at the 165-yard 15th on his way to a 66.