HEIDELBERG, Germany, 23 May 2004 — Gregory Havret held off a top-class field to lead by two strokes after the third round of the 3 million euros Deutsche Bank-SAP Open here yesterday.
The 27-year-old Parisian started the day tied for second, three strokes behind Germany’s Alex Cejka, but two birdies and an eagle in his first four holes catapulted him into a share of the lead.
And four birdies on the back nine was enough to edge him ahead leaving in his wake Cejka, defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Ulsterman Darren Clarke and World No. 3 Ernie Els of South Africa.
Harrington shot a 68 to be tied for second with South Africa’s Trevor Immelman who had a 69. Harrington dropped a shot at the 17th and missed a makeable putt at the last to leave him feeling peeved.
Round of the day went to Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman who moved into contention at nine-under with a 66 which gave Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer a headache.
Leonard, Lewis Tied Atop Colonial Leaderboard
In Fort Worth, Texas residents Justin Leonard and J.L. Lewis made the best of some adverse conditions Friday to share the halfway lead at The Colonial.
While Leonard and Lewis share a home state, the two have had very different careers on the PGA Tour.
The 31-year-old Leonard is halfway to his ninth career title and continued his remarkable success at this event, where he has made the cut in each of his 10 appearances. Leonard charged to the top of the leaderboard Friday with a six-under-par 64, a considerable feat given the Texas winds and dried out greens.
Leonard shot a final-round 61 here last year, finishing second to Kenny Perry.
On Friday, he survived a wild round that included five birdies over the first 10 holes and an eagle at No. 11.
With the lead to himself, Leonard posted back-to-back bogeys from the 12th. He regrouped to birdie 16, rolling home a 25-footer.
While Leonard is looking to get back on track, Lewis is hoping to find the secret to his 2003 success. He had six top-10 finishes in 31 events last year, including a victory at the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania.
The win assured the 43-year-old of a spot on tour through 2005, but he has struggled mightily this year, missing the cut in three of his last six events and cracking the top 25 just once in his last 12 events.
Lewis followed his opening-round 68 with a bogey-free 64. A prior commitment kept him from meeting the media.
First-round leader Craig Perks of New Zealand dropped one shot back and is tied with Steve Flesch, Robert Gamez and Jeff Maggert at 135. Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink and Lee Janzen are two shots off the lead.
Gamez matched Leonard for the low round of the day with a 64. He missed the cut in five of his previous eight events and is seeking his first top-10 finish this season.
Maggert has two top-five finishes this season but also has missed six of 12 cuts.
Australian Stuart Appleby, Billy Mayfair and Notah Begay were among the notables who did not make the cut.
