TILEY SET FOR EGYPTIAN OPEN TITLE CHARGE

- Saturday, 7 November, 2009

Cairo (EGYPT): England's Steven Tiley will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the $ 200,000 Egyptian Open after a third round 68 took him to nine under overall in the region's oldest golf tournament. The 27 year-old Georgia State University graduate was a late arrival from last week's Singapore Open but heads the field from Germany's Christoph Gunther and Swiss Andre Bossert on seven under par after both players carded 67.

'Playing here is a lot different from Singapore where I hardly got to use my wedge, which is one of my strengths,' said Tiley. 'Here I'm allowed plenty of wedge shots, which meant I was able to play very nicely and post a good score. I'll just aim to do the same again tomorrow and see where it takes me.'

While Tiley will play alongside Gunther and Bossert in the final group, they know they face a last day charge from European Ryder Cup skipper Colin Montgomerie whose 69 means he lies just three shots back and will go out looking to cut the deficit just ahead of the less experienced final three ball.

Monty's card of four birdies was again spoiled by yet another bogey on the par four eleventh - the fourth shot the Scot has given up to the hole in three days. 'I don't know what it is about that hole - if I'd played it properly I'd be ahead by now,' smiled Montgomerie, the box office draw in a tournament sponsored by Citadel Capital, Drexel, Palm Hills, SODIC, BMi, Mercedes, AAIB and the Egyptian Tourism Authority.

'But overall I can't complain. I played OK today but just couldn't make a putt - in fact I don't think any of us could. I think I'll need around a 66 tomorrow but more than anything I'm interested to see how the European Challenge Tour players handle events like this. It's a tough job they do.'

While Monty continues to focus on landing his first title in two years, overnight leaders Carl Suneson and Thorbjorn Olesen saw their chances suffer a setback. Suneson found little joy with his putter shooting a 75 to drop into a tie for eleventh place, while Olesen produced a level par 72 and holds joint fourth on six under with Montgomerie and colourful Austrian Thomas Feyrsinger.

It was Feyrsinger who led for most of the day thanks to a birdie blitz that saw him five under for the first six holes. Unfortunately, bogeys on eight and ten were followed by a double bogey on seventeen to leave him with a round of two under par 70.

On a day when the wind dropped and conditions were ideal over the JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club, the best round of the day was a six under par 66 from Norwegian Christian Aronsen, while England's Jamie Moul retired after feeling unwell to leave just 59 players left in the field going into the fourth and final day.

Egyptian Open Leading Scores After Three Rounds

-9 Tiley (Eng)

-7 Gunther (Ger), Bossert (Swi)

-6 Feyrsinger (Aut), Olesen (Den), Montgomerie (Sco)

-5 Carlsson (Swe)

-4 Van Zyl (RSA), Grillon (Fra), Kilpatrick (N Ire)

Caption: Steven Tiley - enjoying a two shot lead in the Egyptian Open

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