Echinique's playing partner, England's Steve Webster, had a torrid day. He was out of sorts from his opening bogey, and could not buy a stroke of luck. The contrast in fortunes between the two players was best shown on the par-5 14th. Webster split the fariway with a perfect drive; Echinique carved a two-iron into the deep rough on the right and could move his second shot only as far as Webster's drive. Webster went for the green but ended up in the big bunker in front of the hole; Echinique did likewise and he found the rough in front of the green.
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Tranquility before the final day tempest. [China.org.cn]
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Webster was left with a horrible shot – forty yards of sand to clear and about ten yards of steep rough and green to work with. Unsurprisingly, he thinned the shot and hit it twice as far as intended. It was heading for thick rough behind the green but incredibly struck the pole of one of the cameramen stationed there and rebounded onto the green. But Webster was left with a putt of over a hundred feet – he couldn't get down in two and dropped a shot.
Echinique, not to be outdone, hit a steepling wedge from out of the rough. His shot struck the flagpole on the way down and came to rest eighteen inches from the cup. He duly converted to save par.
So the Argentinean and the German will lead the charge on the final day. Echinique will be sure that he can play better, and score better, than he did on day 3. He finished second last week in Munich with an albatross on the final hole. At the Golf National this is the Albatross Course, and he may feel that this is a good omen.
But altogether there are eighteen players on five-under or better. Given the way that each day's leaders have struggled to put together a low score in the following round, all of these will feel that they are still in with a good chance of victory if they can put together a round like Kaymer's opening 62.
Shot of the Day;
The par-4 17th is a long, straight slog of over 480 yards. Rafa Echinique unleashed a stupendous drive that simply went for miles and left him with barely a hundred yards to the flag. It was an unbelievable shot of over 370 yards on a hole that rises steadily and steeply from tee to green, and left playing partner Steve Webster far in arrears and speechless.
Leaderboard:
202 – Echinique (Arg)
203 – Kaymer (Ger)
204 – Waring (Eng)
205 – Benson (Eng); Green (Aus); Hanson (Swe);
206 – Derksen (Ned); Westwood (Eng); Schwartzel (SA);
207 – Poulter (Eng) Eight others on 208
(China.org.cn July 5, 2009)
