Wood shows a Dutch of class in KLM Open with blistering third-round 65
ChrisWood will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the KLM Open after an excellent late burst of scoring on day three in Holland. The Englishman came home in 31 to sign for a 65 and edge ahead of countryman Jonathan Thomson, Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and China’s Wu Ashun. The 2016 Ryder Cup star has three wins on the European Tour but a fourth looked a long way off as he bogeyed the second to sit six shots behind early leader Thomson in Spijk. A lay-up and an excellent pitch into the par-five sixth started the comeback and he played the 13th, 15th and last in similar fashion, adding further birdies on the seventh, 10th and 12th to get his nose in front. “I’m pleasantly surprised,” he said. “My target was 15 under for the tournament so I’m going to look a little bit differently at that now. I’ll take another 65 tomorrow if you offer it me now.” Thomson made a blistering start with four birdies in his first six holes but bogeys on the tenth and 13th stalled his momentum before he hit back with a gain on the 15th. Tanihara was bogey-free as he equalled the lowest round of the week with a 63, while overnight leader Wu needed two birdies in his last five holes to fire a levelpar 71. England’s Richard McEvoy was at 11 under after a 64, a shot clear of Irish three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington and Scot David Drysdale. Drysdale bogeyed the eighth and ninth to turn in 36 but bounced back brilliantly with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th in a 69. Belgian Thomas Detry matched Tanihara’s 63 to sit at nine under.