Golf: Late birdie burst sends Armour clear

SAN ANTONIO - Tommy Armour III birdied the last three holes to build a comfortable six-stroke lead after the third round of the US$3.5 million ($5.95 million) Texas Open tournament yesterday.

Armour's seven-under-par 63 gave him a 21-under total of 189, tying the PGA Tour record set by John Cook in the 1996 FedEx St Jude Classic and Mark Calcavecchia in the 2001 Phoenix Open.

Duffy Waldorf, twice a winner of the tournament, carded an eight-under 62 to jump from a tie for 26th into second place on 195 at LaCantera Golf Club's resort course.

Canada's Glen Hnatiuk moved into a tie for third on 197 with Bob Tway, Paul Goydos and Dan Forsman.

New Zealander Craig Perks carded a solid one-under 69 to be tied for 52nd on five-under.

Compatriots Grant Waite and Steve Alker missed the cut.

Armour, the grandson of three-times major champion Tommy Armour, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 1990 Phoenix Open, has not bogeyed a hole through three rounds in Texas. He was also without a dropped stroke in the last 18 holes of last week's Pennsylvania Classic.

With low scores once again common at the weekend, Armour single-putted each of the last three greens, including a 16.5m (54 foot) effort at the 18th.

* New Zealander Michael Campbell will call on a £35 ($100) putting aide to help snare a near £500,000 first prize cheque in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Campbell carded a six-under-par 66 on the Kingsbarns course near St Andrews to finish with the lead, at 14-under, moments before England's Lee Westwood spectacularly overhauled the Wellingtonian.

Westwood ended his round in dazzling manner by brilliantly holing his second shot, from 194m (212 yards) out, at the par five ninth hole, the last of his round.

The albatross catapulted Westwood to the top of the board and two strokes clear while his 10-under-par 62 also smashed the old Kingsbarns course record by three strokes.

Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Irishman Darren Clarke are a stroke further back at 15 under par, and Campbell has fourth place to himself.

The other New Zealander in the field, Stephen Scahill, carded 67 at the St Andrews course to jump to six-under.

Westwood's four-iron final shot was the same club he used a week ago yesterday for a hole-in-one in Cologne that earned him a kilogram of gold.

Campbell revealed he has been relying on the putting aide to finish second and eighth in recent weeks.

"My coach [Jonathan Yarwood] found the putting device on the internet and it's called a 'Putting Arc' that helps follow the track of the putting arc and it's worked."

Campbell was out in the first group at Kingsbarns and taking advantage of the calm but overcast conditions with three birdies in his five holes.

- AGENCIES