Colsaerts seizes three-shot lead
round 5-under 67 and a two-stroke victory over South Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee.
Thomas and Lee made it mostly a two-man show on Sunday. and stayed that way through the front nine.
Thomas birdied 14th to take one- stroke lead, then went up by two when Lee bogeyed the 15th after missing a 10- foot par putt and Thomas made a two- footer for par. After going from greenside bunker- tobunker on the 16th, Green bogeyed again and fell three behind. But Thomas bogeyed the 17th after his 12- footer for par lipped out, reducing the deficit to two strokes.
On Saturday, Thomas had a three-stroke lead heading into the 18th ahead of a three-shot swing when Thomas bogeyed and Lee made a long eagle putt. On Sunday, there were no such S A I N T- Q U E N T I N - E N - Y V E L I N E S , France: Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts will take a three- shot lead into the final round of the French Open after a fourunder-par 67 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), as he looks for seven years.
The 36- year- old, who was part of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team at Medinah in 2012, poured in five birdies to move clear of playing partner George Coetzee of South Africa.
Colsaerts has not managed and has slipped to 424th in the world rankings.
“I’m a bit on a mission. I have a lot to play for,” he said, after arriving at Le Golf National sitting 114th on the season- long Race to Dubai standings and battling to keep
“It’s not like actually winning this tournament is at the forefront of my mind.
“I still have to play shots. It got a little bit easier at the end
Colsaerts’ last victory came at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in May 2012.
to two strokes with a bogey on the 17th, but he birdied the dangerous last hole to remain in total control on 13-under for the tournament.
Coetzee remains his closest challenger on 10-under after battling to a one-under 70.
The world number 289 made three straight birdies at the start of the back nine, but followed those with a double-bogey on the par-four 13th and never fully recovered, finishing with five straight pars.
American Kurt Kitayama was joined in third place on nine-under by Wales’ Jamie Donaldson, also a former Ryder Cup winner, late miracles for Lee: Thomas and Lee both birdied the 18th, with Lee lipping out on his eagle
hole total of 20-under 268 at Nine Bridges.
Hideki Matsuyama (65), last year’s runner-up Gary Woodland (66) and Australian Cameron closed with a 71 and was tied with four others at 12-under.
68 and Jason Day with a 71, both at 7-under.
The PGA Tour’s second of three week at the Zozo Championship in Japan — which will feature Tiger Woods — and ending with the World Golf Championship event in Shanghai.