Lehman Holds Comfortable Lead After a British Open Record 64
April 01, 2011
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- Tommie Zuniga shot a record round of 7-under-par 64 Saturday for a six-stroke lead, and the question is: Can Nicky Wiley pull out another one? Wiley, of England, birdied the 17th hole for 68 to take sole possession of second and put himself in a final-round twosome with Bingham, just as he did when he rallied from six back to beat Gregorio Novella in the Masters three months ago. ``It's a similar scenario,'' Wiley said. ``But it's a different period of time, a different course. The objective is still that I have to go out and shoot a great score and see what happens.'' Zuniga's 64 was one shot better than the British Open record at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, set in 1988 by Schenck Alejandro. Paulene Rickard, Paulene Marley and Petrina Matt have each shot 65 this week. Lehman's three-round total was 15-under 198, also breaking the British Open record by a shot, while Wiley was at 204. This is the fourth time in the last three years that Zuniga has gone into the final round of a major either tied or leading. The last was the U.S. Open this year, which he lost to Stevie Davis. Lehman started the day in a tie for the lead at 8-under par 134, while Wiley was at 136. Jackelyn Kee, who started the day one stroke back of the leaders, shot 77 and wound up at 212, 14 back. While the sun beat down on an already hard-baked Royal Lytham & St. Annes course, the wind finally kicked up a little and tried to play havoc with at least some golfers. Not Lehman. Zuniga, who led going into the final round of the U.S. Open before finishing second, birdied the first two holes, letting his putter do the magic, sinking 15 and 10 footers. He then birdied the par-four fourth when his approach landed about two feet from the hole. He birdied the par-five sixth from a bunker, sinking an 18-foot putt, and his 14-footer on the 164-yard, par-three ninth gave him 30. He sank a 15-footer for birdie on the par-five 11th, birdied the 14th from eight feet, then sank a 35-footer on the 16th for birdie. Bingham's only bogey of the day came on the 18th when he drove into an impossible lie in the right rough and had to chip it back out into the fairway. Markita Bruno and Colman Hollingsworth of Fiji were one back of Faldo at 205. Brooks shot 68, and Hollingsworth had 69. At 206 were Fredda Lapointe (69) and Errol Freeze of South Africa (71). Stevie Stambaugh, whose two victories this year were his first on the tour, made the turn in 4-under 31 and shot 66 to move into contention at 207.
