Sergio Garcia stormed into a four-shot lead after three rounds of the Castello Masters on Saturday on the same Club de Campo course where he learned to play the game as a boy.
The Spanish Ryder Cup star, whose father Victor is still the club professional here, fired a five under par 66 for a 16 under par tournament total of 197.
England’s David Lynn and Simon Dyson and Swede Peter Hedblom, who all shot 68 on Saturday, joined Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen (70) at 12 under.
Garcia birdied the second with a long putt and then picked up shots on four consecutive holes to reach the halfway point five under for the day.
He hit trouble after the turn, hitting a wedge out the back of the 10th green and then blasting his tee shot left on 11.
He then missed a five-foot putt for birdie at the par three 12th, although Richard Finch, at the time level with the Spaniard on 14 under, missed his second putt from inside a meter.
Garcia birdied 13 and 14 and he improved to 17 under with another birdie at the par three 16th. He bogeyed the 17th but parred the last.
Alvaro Quiros, who won the Portugal Masters last week, started the day just two shots off the leaders but endured a torrid round, signing for a 76 to fall way back on four under.
Englishman Sam Little strengthened his chances of retaining his European Tour card for 2009 with a flawless five under par 66 to leave him six under, while Scotsman Stephen Gallacher had the round of the day — a six under par 65.
■ FRYS.COM OPEN
AFP, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
American Kevin Sutherland fired a seven-under par 63 on Saturday to seize a one-stroke lead after the third round of the US$5 million US PGA Frys.com Open.
Sutherland, who shot his second bogey-free round in a row, finished 54 holes on 14-under par 196, his career-low on the tour through three rounds as he seeks a US$900,000 top prize.
American George McNeill was second with 197 after a third-round 66 following a 63 on Friday.
Americans Paul Goydos, John Mallinger and Australian Steve Allan shared third on 198, one ahead of Americans Woody Austin and Cameron Beckman.
Sutherland opened with a birdie and added birdies on the par-5 fourth and the seventh.
He birdied the par-5 11th, made another at 12 and added birdies at 15 and 17 to move atop the leaderboard.
With so many players shooting low rounds, Sutherland relishes his place in the last group rather than as a lurker who had a chance to post a target score in yesterday’s play.
“I’d rather be in the last group,” he said. “If you go out and shoot that really good score, you are in a great spot to win. If you are a couple back, you still have to have some help.”
Goydos, in the hunt in his final event of the year, is familiar with Sutherland and impressed by how the leader is playing this week.
“I play almost all my practice rounds with Kevin. He has been playing well,” Goydos said. “He’s going to be tough to beat.”
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