TURIN, Italy — South Africa's Garth Mulroy carded a six-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the Italian Open Saturday. Mulroy, sitting only one shot behind overnight leader Richard Bland, started with a birdie at the first and made up for a bogey at the fifth by reeling off three successive birdies in his outward nine. At the turn he birdied the 10th and 13th holes and finished with another birdie at the last. With nine players only four shots off the leading pace, Mulroy faces a big challenge Sunday. A day after a second successive 66, 39-year-old Bland picked up one bogey and failed to produce the birdie blitz which, for two days running, had put him in surprise contention. He is now in a six-strong group which sits four shots off the pace of Mulroy, whose three-round total of 199 gave him a one-shot lead over Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Had Fernandez-Castano not picked up four bogeys his round of 67 he may have taken the overnight lead. “I played well but I had a few unforced errors which cost me a few shots,” said Fernandez-Castano. Sitting one shot further behind on 201 are fellow Spaniards Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who shot a 65, and Pablo Larrazabal, who carded a 66. Miyazato in early lead Cristie Kerr slipped to a double bogey five on the par three ninth, her final hole, to spoil a strong morning's play in the delayed second round of the Women's British Open at Royal Liverpool Saturday. The American golfer's 73 left her on 1 over 145 after two rounds, four strokes behind early leader Mika Miyazato of Japan, who added a 70 to her opening 71. Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel are alongside Kerr on 145 after Wie added a 70 to her opening 75 and Pressel shot 73 after an opening-round 72. Starting at the tenth, Kerr began with five pars, dropped a shot at the short 15th but then picked up birdies at the two par five Nos. 16 and 18 to be out in one under 36. She then played the next eight holes in par before letting it slip at the last. Wie also started at the tenth and picked up three birdies on the way to the turn but dropped two shots to be out in 36 then picked up two more birdies on her back nine while dropping just one shot. Miyazato picked up four birdies and dropped just two shots in her 70. Her closest challenger among the early finishers was American Angela Stanford on level par after her second 72, while English amateur Holly Clyburn is alongside Kerr, Wie and Pressel on one over after eagling her last, the par five 18th. Former winner Laura Davies of England was 10 over when she pulled out with an injured ankle after ten holes. England's Karen Stupples, winner in 2004, failed to make the cut after adding an 81 to her opening 76. The event is sponsored by Ricoh. — Agencies
