Publications
Partners
Switzerland - Scotsman Richie Ramsay thrived in the cold and wet Swiss Alps on Saturday, shooting a 64 to move into the lead at 11 under after three rounds of the European Masters.
Ramsay fired six birdies and didn't drop a shot to hold a one-stroke lead from fellow Scot Paul Lawrie (67) and Danny Willett (68) of England.
"It was a nice and steady round," said the 29-year-old Ramsay, who was at the first tee when fog suspended play in the morning. "It sounds simple, it's harder to do."
Overnight leader Julien Quesne of France is a further shot back after going round in 70. That counted as level on the usual par-71 Severiano Ballesteros course after heavy rain forced organizers to reduce the soaked par-4 sixth hole to a par-3.
Fog then rolled in approaching midday and delayed play for nearly two hours as the leading groups prepared to start their rounds.
Lawrie, seeking his second straight title after victory at Gleneagles, Scotland, last week, led until going out of bounds off the tee at the par-5 14th.
The European Ryder Cup player made a double-bogey seven, and acknowledged being "a bit frustrated" with his 67.
"I played lovely again today and could easily have been four or five shots better," Lawrie said. "But one behind now, I would have taken that at the start of the week."
Ramsay, who placed sixth behind his fellow Aberdeen native at Gleneagles, has never led a European Tour event after three rounds.
"54-hole leader sounds good but 72-hole leader sounds even better," said Ramsay, whose only victory came at the 2010 South African Open.
Still, 21 players will tee off Sunday within five shots of the lead on a course which plays short in the thin mountain air.
Joost Luiten of the Netherlands trails by four shots after firing the lowest score of the day, a 63 that included three eagles.
David Lynn of England, the runner-up behind Rory McIlroy at the United States PGA Championship last month, moved to 6 under with a 65.
The 2009 winner here, Alexander Noren, had perhaps the strangest round of an interrupted day. The Swede started early and went out in 30, but after the fog delay came home in 39 to fall back to 1 under.
European Masters third round scores at Crans-sur-Sierre on Saturday (GBR and IRL unless stated, par 70):
(Note: For round 1 and 2 par 71, for round 3 par 70 due to overnight rain):
201 - Richie Ramsay 69 68 64
202 - Paul Lawrie 69 66 67, Danny Willett 67 67 68
203 - Julien Quesne (FRA) 68 65 70
204 - Jamie Donaldson 69 69 66, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 69 68 67, Mathias Gronberg (SWE) 70 69 65
205 - Anders Hansen (DEN) 68 70 67, Joost Luiten (NED) 71 71 63, David Howell 66 70 69, Rikard Karlberg (SWE) 72 67 66, Graeme Storm 68 70 67, Felipe Aguilar (CHI) 68 69 68, Romain Wattel (FRA) 67 70 68, Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 65 73 67, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 68 68 69
206 - Brett Rumford (AUS) 71 68 67, David Lynn 73 68 65, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 68 70 68, Sam Little 67 71 68, Simon Dyson 69 70 67, Thomas Levet (FRA) 68 70 68
207 - Michael Jonzon (SWE) 71 67 69, Johan Edfors (SWE) 67 74 66
208 - Michael Campbell (NZL) 70 71 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 77 65 66, Shane Lowry 69 71 68, David Lipsky (USA) 70 70 68, Marcel Siem (GER) 68 72 68, Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 68 71 69, Jason Knutzon (USA) 70 72 66
209 - Steve Webster 69 71 69, Robert Coles 66 70 73, Richard McEvoy 69 71 69, Peter Hedblom (SWE) 72 70 67, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (IND) 71 71 67, Darren Fichardt (RSA) 70 72 67, Alex Cejka (GER) 69 71 69, Tjaart Van Der Walt (RSA) 70 70 69, David Drysdale 68 74 67, Alexander Noren (SWE) 71 69 69, Scott Barr (AUS) 66 72 71, Tommy Fleetwood 70 66 73, Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 69 72 68
210 - Branden Grace (RSA) 70 72 68, Berry Henson (USA) 68 73 69, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 71 71 68, Oliver Fisher 65 73 72, Marc Warren 76 66 68, Markus Brier (AUT) 67 72 71, Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 63 75 72, Michael Hoey 70 68 72, Richard Sterne (RSA) 72 69 69
211 - Colin Montgomerie 72 68 71, Estanislao Goya (ARG) 74 66 71, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 71 70 70, Lee Slattery 68 74 69, Stephen Gallacher 67 71 73, Richard Finch 70 68 73, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 70 70 71, Gregory Havret (FRA) 69 72 70
212 - Ross Fisher 70 70 72, Rhys Davies 66 75 71, Benjamin Hebert (FRA) 72 69 71, Jose Manuel Lara (ESP) 68 74 70, Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 68 73 71
