WALES OPEN LEADERBOARD - THIRD ROUND GB & Irl unless indicated
-15 S Strange (Aus) -12 A Velasco (Spa) -11 R Jacquelin (Fr), R Karlsson (Swe), JM Singh (Ind) -10 B Barham, N Dougherty, R Echenique (Arg), P Larrazabal (Esp), T Levet (Fra), R McGowan, R Dinwiddie
Selected others: -8 D Clarke -6 R McIlroy -4 D Howell -3 C Montgomerie
Coverage: Highlights on BBC2 Wales 2310 BST

Scott Strange has consolidated his Wales Open lead

Scott Strange admitted to dizziness as he preserved his Wales Open lead.

The Australian's light-headedness was no surprise as he looked to close out his first European Tour win, having led after each of the first three rounds.

The 31-year-old shot a round of 69 to move onto 15 under par to lead The Celtic Manor field by three shots as he looked to complete a wire-to-wire win.

Robert Karlsson is four behind Strange on 11 under par while fellow Ryder Cup hopeful Nick Dougherty is on 10 under.

Strange revealed after his third round that he felt dizzy on the final straight but he showed great nerve, as he has done all week in Wales, to stay cool and complete a round of two under.

"Maybe I just need to lie down," admitted Strange, who has won twice on the Asian Tour.

"For some reason I felt funny down the 14th and when I got on the 15th tee I felt I was going to fall over and throw up.

"I had a banana and a chocolate bar but I had plenty of food and drink before that and can't explain it so I'll have a chat with the physios and I'll then just wait and see how I am."

But Karlsson and Dougherty are waiting ominously to pounce if Strange were to wobble on the final day of The Celtic Manor's new 2010 Ryder Cup course.

Sunday is when Strange's nerve and temperament will be fully examined if the chasing pack led by Alvaro Velasco decide to turn the screw for the £300,000 first prize.

But it is not just financial reward available at the Wales Open because with Ryder Cup points available, Dougherty and Karlsson will look to cement their place in the top 10 of the European rankings for Nick Faldo's team.

Dougherty, 26 last week, is bidding to make his Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla in September while Karlsson hopes repeating his 2006 Wales Open win this week will all but guarantee a repeat at a Ryder Cup.

Rookie Spaniard Velasco is leading the chasing pack - three behind Strange - thanks to a second successive round of 68.

Karlsson is on 11 under with Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Jeev Milkha Singh of India while Dougherty, chasing his third European Tour win, is one of seven on 10 under.

Dougherty's last victory was the Dunhill Links Championship and after his fine round he admitted: "I played lovely golf and hit some great shots.

"All my birdies came from my approach work as most of my birdie chances were tap-ins."

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