Nobilo holds 3-stroke lead

Press, 15 August 1988, Page 24

Nobilo holds 3-stroke lead

NZPA-Reuter Falsterbo, Sweden

Gale force Baltic winds could not prevent New Zealander Frank Nobilo from taking a three-stroke lead in the PLM Open golf championship on Saturday. Nobilo shot a third round 71 on the Flommens links for an eight-under-par total of 202.

The defending champion, Howard Clark, of Britain, and Sweden’s Anders Forsbrand were his closest challengers after carding 68 and 72 respectively.

The former New Zealand amateur and professional champion lost his lead with a double-bogey six at the eighth after a violent storm halted play for 30 minutes.

But the Aucklander dropped just one more shot over the remaining holes and

remained on course for his first European tour success. He said: “I’m playing well, having made 11 cuts in 15 starts and winning here would earn me a lot of privileges. My swing held up well in the gale but it was difficult to maintain balance. I was almost blown off my feet several times and had to aim some shots 80 yards off line.”

Clark birdied three of the first six holes and sank two long putts for twos. He described the conditions as "horrendous” and his round as “one of the best of my career.”

Forsbrand looked set to finish second on his own after covering the first 11 holes in one-under-par but he hit his tee shot out of bounds at the short twelfth then took two shots to escape from a bunker for a tripie-bogey six.