Three-stroke lead has Nobilo on target for two in a row

FRANK Nobilo looks to be heading towards back-to-back tournament victories for the first time in his career after another magnificent round saw him surge into a three-stroke lead at the US$350,000 Andersen Consulting Hong Kong Open yesterday.

The New Zealander is now the firm favourite to add the Hong Kong crown to his recently acquired Mexican Open title after sinking five birdies and 13 pars for a third-round five-under-par 66 on the Hong Kong Golf Club's Composite Course.

Ominously for the rest of the field, Nobilo believes a lower score is well within his grasp and said his third-round total could conceivably have been as low as 63 or 62.

'A score like that could have been on today. I certainly created enough chances over the 18 holes,' a delighted Nobilo said afterwards.

'I wish I could play like that every day. I hit the ball straight down the middle of the fairways and kept ripping my irons at the flag. It was a great round of golf and I'm really playing well.

'I'm happy to come such a long way and play so well,' said Nobilo, who almost bagged a sensational hole-in-one at the par-three 15th when his tee-shot ran over the hole.

Nobilo is unlikely to relinquish his lead without a battle today and is more than happy to be leading the field clearly.

'Sometimes when you're coming from behind you can be more positive, but the advantage of being in front is that you do have something up your sleeve,' he said.

'The important thing is to have a solid game plan.' Overnight leader Tim Straub was unable to repeat his putting magic of Friday's second round as he could only manage a one-under-par 71.

'I just couldn't get anything going today which was a bit disappointing. But I'm only three strokes behind and there are still 18 holes left,' Straub said.

One behind Straub and four off the lead on 10-under-par are Taiwan's Lin Keng-chi and Korean Kang Wook-soon.

Kang, who finished runner-up to Bernhard Langer on his last visit to Fanling at the 1996 Alfred Dunhill Masters, shot a four-under 67.

But it was a disappointing day for Italian Costantino Rocca, who slipped out of the reckoning after a two-over-par 73. Although Rocca is still five under for the tournament, he is nine strokes down on leader Nobilo and needs a miracle to challenge today.

Rocca's round got off to the worst possible start yesterday when he double-bogeyed the par-five third hole after hitting into a drainage ditch.

'It was not a good day for me. I made too many mistakes and did not take my chances,' he said.

South African David Frost was also unable to make much of an impression on the leading pack, managing only a level-par 71 to stay in joint 26th place on one under after three rounds.

Elsewhere, Dominique Boulet's form slump continued.

After a wayward six-over-par 77, Boulet was left languishing way off the pace with little realistic chance of salvaging anything from today's final round.

While Boulet was toiling away, Hong Kong's other remaining professional, Tang Man-kee, was enjoying a fine round with a one-under-par 70. That left him tied with eight others in joint 26th position on a one-under-par, three-round aggregate 212.