CASTELLON, Spain: Sweden's Peter Hedblom shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-shot lead into the third round of the Castello Masters as local favorite Sergio Garcia missed the cut. The 40-year-old three-time European Tour winner reached 9 under, one shot ahead of three players including Italian teenager Matteo Manassero who share second place. Hedblom, the winner of the 2009 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, said he will have to play his best golf of the year if he is to stand any chance of holding on to his lead. He currently lies a lowly 98th on the European money list and has missed the cut in six of his last 11 tournaments. “This has not been a good season for me,” said Hedblom after a round that included six pars and an eagle but finished with a bogey on the 9th green, his last of the day at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo. Garcia missed the cut at the tournament he promotes in his home town and was left dejected after a 2-over 73. Garcia had returned to action Thursday after taking a two-month break from golf. After a round in which the Spaniard missed five close-range putts, Garcia said: “It's tough for me especially missing the cut here. The way I putted I feel as though I am back to where I was when I left the game in the summer. It's very frustrating.” The 17-year-old Manassero shot a 66 to join Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who also had a 66, and Scotlands Paul Lawrie, who followed his opening 64 with a 70, in second place at 8 under. Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, playing only his second tournament of the year and hoping he will recover sufficiently from chronic rheumatism to be Europe's next Ryder Cup captain, will play over the weekend after a 68 took him to 1 under. Murray shoots into lead In Cairo, Scotland's George Murray goes into the final round of the Egyptian Open presented by SODIC in Cairo Saturday one short ahead of Italy's Alessandro Tadini and Floris de Vries of Holland at the JW Marriott, Mirage City Golf Club. The Scot moved to the top of the leaderboard thanks to a storming birdie-birdie-eagle finish saw him shoot 68 for a three round total of twelve under par. It was a brilliant finish by Murray who had produced fifteen back-to-back pars before picking up four shots on the closing three holes including holing a magnificent 143 yard wedge for eagle on the par fourth 18th. Murray goes into today's final round paired with De Vries after the Dutchman shot a superb course record-equalling 65 to keep himself well in the hunt in the $250,000 event, the penultimate tournament on the European Challenge Tour calendar. Also tied in second place on eleven under par with De Vries is early leader Tadini who shot 69 to move two shots ahead of overnight leader Lee Slattery of England who could only shoot a level par 72 and remain on nine-under par. Five shots behind Murray is defending champion Steven Tiley whose 68 takes him to seven under for the tournament as he fights to retain his title. Despite admitting to being happier with his game after shooting his best round of the week, world No. 9 Rory McIlroy is 10 shots off the lead in joint 20th place.
