LOCH LOMOND, Scotland, 16 July 2006 — Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn continued his love affair with Loch Lomond yesterday, firing a five-under-par 66 to set up a last-day title shootout with his close friend Darren Clarke at the Scottish Open.
Briton Clarke, who led by three strokes at the start of the third round, carded a level-par 71 to finish alongside his former Ryder Cup team mate on 202, 11 under.
Two strokes back in a tie for third place were Benn Barham and David Drysdale of Britain and Argentina’s Andres Romero. Raphael Jacquelin and Jean-Francois Remesy of France, Ireland’s Damien McGrane and holder Tim Clark of South Africa were on 205.
It was Bjorn, though, who strode on to center stage on Saturday at the scene of his unforgettable first European Tour victory 10 years ago.
“It (Loch Lomond) has got a huge place in my heart and always will have,” he told reporters. “Any pro will tell you their first victory is the most special one.
“I don’t think we play a finer venue on the tour. When it is like this and the weather is fine, it is spectacular.
“You won’t find a place like it anywhere, it is very special,” added Bjorn after registering six birdies and one bogey.
The 35-year-old Dane said that whatever the outcome today, he and Clarke would always be friends.
“All the things going on in Darren’s life are for Darren to talk about,” said Bjorn referring to the battle against cancer that Clarke’s wife Heather is enduring.
Ogilvie in Control at Deere Run, Ailing Wie Quits
In Chicago, stock market enthusiast Joe Ogilvie took charge at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois as crowd favorite Michelle Wie made a premature exit with heat exhaustion on Friday.
American Ogilvie fired a four-under-par 67 to forge one stroke clear in the second round at the TPC at Deere Run before Wie’s unlikely bid to make a first PGA Tour cut ended after nine holes.
The 16-year-old Hawaiian, competing with the men for the ninth time in a professional event, was eight over par and 10 strokes away from the eventual cut line when she decided to quit. Dripping with sweat on a hot and steamy afternoon, she was in visible discomfort over her last five holes, repeatedly drying her face with a towel and putting her hand to her stomach.
After running up a double-bogey six at the ninth where a doctor was called out to check her condition, Wie ended her bid to become the first woman to make a PGA Tour cut in 61 years. She was given initial treatment at the medical trailer before being taken to hospital in an ambulance.
“She suffered a number of different symptoms, including stomach pains, nausea, dizziness, and breathing problems which worsened as the round continued,” Wie’s manager Ross Berlin said in a statement.
