Otto grabs pole position in Italy

5/10/2008

Hennie Otto gave himself the perfect chance once again to prove he has what it takes to win on The European Tour when he moved into a four shot lead going into the final round of the Methorios Capital Italian Open.

The 31 year old South African has been close on numerous occasions, none more so than six weeks ago in the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal, when he took a five shot advantage into the final round only to be overhauled by Alastair Forsyth, the Scot eventually triumphing on the first hole of a play-off.

Now Otto has another opportunity to win and regain his full playing privileges on The European Tour thanks to a stunning third round 63 at the sun-kissed Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of Milan.

It moved the South African to 22 under par 194, a new tournament record low for 54 holes, beating the previous best of 21 under par 195 carded by eventual champion Patrik Sjoland at Castelconturbia in 1998.

But more importantly for Otto now, it gave him a four shot lead over his nearest challengers for the €283,330 (£221,303) first prize and the priceless two year exemption on The European Tour International Schedule until the end of the 2010 season that victory will also present him.

Leaderboard – Round 3:

1. Hennie Otto                  SAF  65 66 63 194 -22
2. Rober Karlsson             SWE  68 61 69 198 -18
    Christian Nilsson           SWE  67 67 64 198 -18
    Alvaro Velasco               ESP  70 64 64 198 -18
5. Phillip Archer                 ENG  70 64 65 199 -17
    Ross McGowan              ENG  64 71 64 199 -17
7. Grégory Havret              FRA  70 67 63 200 -16
    Oliver Wilson                 ENG  66 69 65 200 -16
9. Estanislao Goya             ARG  66 67 68 201 -15
    Anders Hansen              DEN  68 65 68 201 -15
    Marcel Siem                  GER  70 66 65 201 -15
    Marco Soffetti                 ITA  72 66 63 201 -15

Source: European Tour