KEY POINTS:
The cruelty of golf was highlighted when New Zealand golfer David Smail - who had played 46 holes without dropping a shot - bogeyed the 11th hole at the Australian PGA championship at Coolum yesterday. It was near enough to the end of his hopes of a win.
Smail, who hit a four-under 68 yesterday, was 12-under for the three rounds and alone in sixth place. But he is six shots off the lead after US PGA tour golfers Nick O'Hern and Peter Lonard both produced cracking rounds - O'Hern a nine-under 63 to equal the course record, while Lonard hit a 65. Both are 18 under par going into today's final round. Smail dropped a further shot on the 18th yesterday, making his chase for the title more difficult today.
Peter O'Malley is three shots off the lead in third with course recordholder Wade Ormsby another shot back, one ahead of Paul Gow with Smail next on the leaderboard.
Smail is the only Kiwi golfer with a shot at the title, albeit remote. Bradley Iles shot a 78 yesterday to be tied for 46th and the only other Kiwi to make the cut - Tony Christie - two shots further back at even par after a round of 74.
It was the Australians to the fore as O'Hern and Lonard blitzed the course. O'Hern birdied his first hole, chipped in at the third, scrambled for his par on the fourth after playing up the adjoining fairway, and chipped in again for another birdie at the sixth.
Smail birdied four of his first nine holes and seemed set to play himself into a strong challenging position but lost impetus when he missed atwo-foot putt for par to fall three shots behind.
Meanwhile, Lonard - winner of this event in 2002 and 2004 - was putting together four birdies in five holes to keep his championship alive.
Last year's winner Robert Allenby shot a 72 to drop behind by 11 shots, while Australia's US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy shot a 67 but is eight shots off the lead and two shots behind Smail.
"I'm on the fringes of being in touch but I don't think I'm close enough," Ogilvy admitted afterwards. "If I'd had two or three more birdies yesterday I'd be fine."
Adam Scott shot a 71 to be six under par, one shot ahead of Allenby.
Nathan Green, winner of the Blue Chip New Zealand open last week, could only manage a 71 after his sizzling 64 in the second round and is 11-under par, a shot behind Smail.
