Golf: Price is right at NZ Open

7.00pm - By MARTIN DAVIDSON

Grizzled Australian golfer Terry Price is confident he can rediscover the winning touch at the New Zealand Open on Sunday.

Price completed the third round at the 5962m Grange course today exactly where he wanted to be -- leading the field.

He shot a three-under-par 67 despite gusting noreasterly winds to sit at nine-under 201 for the tournament, one stroke clear of fellow Australian Chris Downes and New Zealand amateur Brad Heaven.

Downes came in with a 69 today while Heaven, the joint first-round leader and sole second-round leader, had a 72.

In fourth alone on 203 was Australian Ricky Schmidt, who managed a 65, while the day's lowest score was the 64 crafted by Palmerston North's Richard Best, who shot up the leader board to be fifth equal on 204.

He shared that number with Australian Euan Walters, who shot 69, while American John Inman was seventh equal with Australian trio David McKenzie, Wade Ormsby and Ricky Barnes on 205.

McKenzie's 65 contained a brace of eagles at the course's two par-five holes.

Price, 43, won the last of his four official tour events at the 2002 New South Wales Open, and knows what is required in Sunday's final round.

He is in a buoyant mood, cheered by some putting tips offered to him by young Australian hotshot Aaron Baddeley.

Price said he was putting atrociously late last year and sought out Baddeley at the Australian Open in December.

They spent two hours together and Baddeley, based on the PGA Tour in the United States, left his compatriot with a checklist of five simple fundamentals to think about when on the green.

Price has been delighted with the results as he has completed three rounds here in just 88 putts.

He feels he now has the armoury to close the deal in the final round.

"I've been in this position before but my putting has let me down in the final round," Price said.

"But I'm looking forward to tomorrow. With my putting I'm starting to feel that I'm not taking a knife to a gunfight."

Price welcomed the strengthening winds of today, which blew from the opposite direction of yesterday.

That meant a crafty head was needed, an attribute Price has.

"It was a day when you really had to grind it. With the wind getting up and changing direction from the day before you have to get crafty and play old style golf.

"This course needs a lot of thought. On every hole, except for the sixth, you had a cross wind and it was gusting so you were never certain what was going to happen.

"But it's nice when it gets tough. I get really interested then because it's not a hit and putt competition."

One of New Zealand's leading hopes starting the day, David Smail, shot himself in the foot with a three-over 73 containing a quadruple bogey on the par-four 10th and an eagle two on the first when he flushed a wedge from 63m.

His not so magical mystery tour on the 368m 10th started when he pulled his drive into the trees on the left. He took two strokes to find the fairway and then promptly pulled his approach to the left of the green.

Faced with an impossible lie he then needed two chips to get on the green and two putts to find the hole.

Another prominent player to go backwards was Australian Peter O'Malley, who started the round two back of the overnight leader and ended his round of 76 in 19th equal place on 208.

Scores after the third round (am denotes amateur):

201: Terry Price (AUS) 69 65 67.

202: Chris Downes (AUS) 66 67 69, Brad Heaven (am, NZL) 64 66 72.

203: Ricky Schmidt (AUS) 65 72 66.

204: Richard Best (NZL) 68 72 64, Euan Walters (AUS) 66 69 69.

205: David McKenzie (AUS) 73 67 65, John Inman (USA) 68 71 66, Wade Ormsby (AUS) 64 73 68, Kurt Barnes (AUS) 66 69 70.

206: Andrew Buckle (AUS) 68 70 68, Peter Fowler (AUS) 67 69 70.

207: Eddie Lee (NZL) 66 73 68, David Bransdon (AUS) 66 71 70, Adrian Percey (AUS) 66 71 70, Chris Campbell (AUS) 67 70 70, Scott Laycock (AUS) 69 67 71, Martin Doyle (AUS) 70 64 73.

208: Michael Long (NZL) 69 71 68, Dean Alaban (AUS) 71 68 69, Gary Simpson (AUS) 69 67 72, Wayne Grady (AUS) 69 67 72, Matthew Millar (AUS) 65 70 73, David Smail (NZL) 67 68 73, Craig Jones (AUS) 67 68 73, Peter O'Malley (AUS) 64 68 76.

209: Matthew Ecob (AUS) 71 69 69, Ben Bunny (AUS) 64 75 70, Peter Senior (AUS) 67 72 70, Steven Jeffress (AUS) 73 65 71, Nigel Spence (AUS) 70 68 71, Darren Crowe (am, IRE) 73 65 71, Lucas Parsons (AUS) 66 71 72, David Diaz (AUS) 66 69 74.

210: Ryan Haller (AUS) 71 69 70, Steve Collins (AUS) 71 69 70, Bradley Iles (am, NZL) 68 71 71, Richard Lee (NZL) 68 71 71, Dave Stockton (USA) 70 69 71, Stuart Thompson (NZL) 67 71 72, Marcus Wheelhouse (NZL) 69 69 72.

211: Jens Nilsson (SWE) 69 69 73, Martin Pettigrew (NZL) 68 70 73, Dave Stockton (USA) 70 67 74, Stuart Bouvier (AUS) 68 69 74.

212: Brad McIntosh (AUS) 68 72 72, La Bomba Imai (JPN) 70 70 72, Gareth Paddison (NZL) 68 72 72, Brendan Chant (AUS) 70 69 73, John Sutherland (AUS) 69 69 74, Andrew Park (am, NZL) 68 70 74, Ed Stedman (AUS) 69 67 76, Stuart Malcolmson (NZL) 70 64 78.

213: Paul Sheehan (AUS) 68 72 73, Craig Carmichael (AUS) 70 69 74, Simon Nash (AUS) 66 72 75, Sam Hunt (am, NZL) 68 70 75, Greg Chalmers (AUS) 73 64 76, Leith Wastle (AUS) 70 67 76.

214: Jay Sigel (USA) 68 72 74, Paul Marantz (AUS) 68 69 77.

215: Gavin Flint (am, AUS) 70 70 75, Dean Sipson (am, NZL) 71 69 75, Leigh McKechnie (AUS) 72 67 76, Michael Pearson (USA) 69 67 79.

216: Ryan Haywood (AUS) 69 71 76, Richard Squire (NZL) 75 63 78.

217: Paul Dorelli (ENG) 69 69 79.

220: Gavin Hills (AUS) 69 71 80.

- NZPA