Kapur slips to fourth, Jeev 11th at KLM Open

HILVERSUM - An eagle on the closing hole for the day salvaged the day for golfers Shiv Kapur (70) and Jeev Milkha Singh both at the end of the third round of the KLM Open in the Netherlands.

Kapur, who was the co-leader at the end of the second round, is now eight-under 202 for three days and two shots of the leader Martin Kaymer, who is playing for the first since winning the PGA Championships at Whistling Straits.

Jeev Milkha Singh also seemed to be dropping way down at three-over for the day, but the eagle brought him to one-over for the day and to five-under in tied 11th place.

Kapur, who was eight-under overnight and in shared lead with Nicolas Colsaerts, pulled himself clear as he birdied the first and Colsaerts bogeyed the same. Then the two seemed to compete in dropping shots.

Colsaerts had two more bogeys on front nine and Kapur had a double on fourth and a bogey on fifth. He had a birdie on seventh but again dropped a shot on ninth. He swapped a birdie and bogey on 12th and 14th and then came the eagle on 18th.

Jeev bogeyed the sixth and then two more bogeys on 10th and 11th saw him slip down from his overnight sixth. A birdie on 12th was followed by a bogey on 14th. He finally made up with a eagle on 18th.

Kaymer birdied the last two holes of his third round to edge into a slender one shot lead. The 25 year old German, trying to make it five wins in a row by members of Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup Team, overtook Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti and Swede Christian Nilsson.

Kaymer himself began the run of success by taking his first major championship last month. That was followed by Peter Hanson at the Czech Open, Edoardo Molinari in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and then last Sunday by Miguel Angel Jiménez at the Omega European Masters.

This is Kaymer’s first outing since Whistling Straits and if he lifts the euro 300,000 winner’s cheque he will open up a lead of almost euro 500,000 over Graeme McDowell at the top of The Race to Dubai.

While he is ranked sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking, Zanotti is 279th and Nilsson 255th.

They have only two top-ten finishes between them in 38 European Tour events this season, but shot 65 and 68 respectively to keep their title hopes alive.

It is a big day coming up for both of them. Zanotti is 111th on The Race to Dubai and Nilsson 138th - and only the leading 115 keep their cards at the end of the year.