BBC SPORT | Golf | Watson blown off course

Tom Watson's hopes of winning his first Senior British Open were all but blown away by the strong winds at Royal County Down on Saturday.

The five-times Open champion started the day on three under par 139, five shots behind surprise second round leader, Noburo Sugai.

But Watson finished up eight shots back after carding five over par 76.

Sugai, meanwhile, managed a two over par 73 in winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

Nearest challenger

That gave him a six-shot cushion to take into Sunday's final round at the famous seaside course in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.

Sugai's nearest challenger is Canadian John Irwin, who posted a 74 to be on leval par for the three rounds.

South Africa's John Bland matched Sugai's 73 to claim third place on one over par 214.

Japan's Noboru Sugai has led the Senior Open from day one
Noboru Sugai still leads the Senior British Open

Watson was sharing fourth place with Scotland's John Chillas, after the club professional from Glenbervie returned a 77.

Watson began his round with an ugly three-putt on the 454-yard par five first and also dropped shots at the third, fifth, sixth and 10th.

He briefly recovered with birdies at the 12th and 13th.

But that was the only respite in a torrid round for the man from Kansas, who went on to bogey the 14th and double bogey the 15th.

Sugai, who has won four times on the Japan PGA Tour, proved he could cope with all the British weather could throw at him with a composed round.

He got off to the perfect start with birdies on the second and fourth holes.

Two bogeys

The Japanese golfer suffered double bogey sixes at the eighth and the ninth but then came home in level par 36 to set himself up with a great chance to land the �79,000 first prize.

Scotland's John McTear was on the only competitor to match par during the third round and his 71 would have been even better but for two bogeys over his closing two holes.

The shot of the day came from America's Bill Brask who holed a 112-yard pitching wedge for an albatross two on the 479-yard par five 12th. He returned a four over par 75.

England's Neil Coles and New Zealand's Bob Charles go into the final round tied in the race for the �3,000 prize, awarded to the leading competitor aged 60 and over.

Charles recorded a 77, one better than Coles, with both men going into the final round on nine over par 222.

Third round leaderboard

207 N Sugai (Jpn) 67 67 73; 213 J Irwin (Can) 71 68 74; 214 J Bland (Rsa) 71 70 73; 215 T Watson (USA) 70 69 76, J Chillas 69 69 77; 216 C O'Connor Jnr 73 70 73; 217 K Takahashi (Jpn) 71 69 77; 218 D Oakley (USA) 74 70 78 N Job 76 67 75; 219 J Morgan 72 70 77, R Weir 68 72 79.

220 J McTear 71 78 71, D Huish 76 70 74, M Miller 74 72 74, P Diniz (Bra) 74 72 74 ,R Metherell (Aus) 75 69 76, S Ebihara (Jpn) 72 71 77, M Gregson 72 71 77; 221 M Bembridge 72 73 76, B Vivian (NZ) 71 72 78; 222 D Halldorson (Can) 71 75 76, B Jones (Aus) 72 73 77, B Charles (NZ) 73 72 77, N Coles 74 70 78.


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