Luiten Leads at Carton House

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Joost Luiten will take a one shot lead into the final round of The Irish Open as the Dutchman seeks his second win of the month.

Luiten won the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity three weeks and has also finished 11th in Sweden and tenth in Germany during an impressive June.

A flawless six under par 66 took him to 13 under at Carton House, one ahead of Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal and with overnight joint-leader Robert Rock third on ten under.

“It was good to day - a round in this wind with no bogeys is always good,” said the 27 year old, who has two European Tour titles to his name.

“It looks like I’m playing good, playing consistently. I don’t make a lot of silly mistakes, the game feels good.

“I like the course - obviously after three rounds if you’re leading you like it! The key is to stay out of the fairway bunkers.

“It’s always great to go into the last round of the tournament as the leader, but this is The Irish Open and perhaps bigger than some other events.”

Some sumptuous approach play meant Luiten didn’t have to hole a putt longer than ten feet for his six birdies - his longest conversion of the day a 20 foot effort for par at the 12th.

"I don't really care who is behind me, as long as they stay behind me," Luiten added. "You still have to go out and make some birdies, be patient and take it one shot at a time.

"It's always good to have a win under your belt, you can go a little bit more for the win. You have nothing to lose so that's how I am going to go out tomorrow.

"I've been working on my swing for a long time and am finally fully fit after a shoulder problem which meant I couldn't practise as much on the range. It has been good for a couple of months and feels really good now.”

Larrazábal turned in 32, with approaches to five feet at the fourth and ninth the highlights.

Like Luiten, the Spaniard had his irons dialled in and further gains followed after an approach to ten feet at the 13th and six feet at the 15th as he carded a 66.

“I've been playing good,” said the 30 year old. “The last month I didn't play as good as the three months before, so I feel that I'm hitting the ball good, and I have to fight for the tournament. 

“I hope tomorrow I can hit the ball as good as these days and hole as many putts.”

Rock was steady rather than spectacular as he turned in 35 with a solitary birdie on the fifth, but dropped two shots either side of back-to-back gains at the 13th and 14th on the way in to sign for a 71.

England’s Paul Casey and Scotland’s Scot Henry share fourth on nine under, one ahead of a group including former Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal, with halfway joint-leader Peter Uihlein slipping back to seven under after a 74.

Robert Rocks Again at Irish Open

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Robert Rock already has one "winner's" cheque from The Irish Open - but could claim another for real at Carton House this weekend.

Despite holding off Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to win the Abu Dhabi Championship last year, Rock's biggest payday remains the first prize of €500,000 he collected at Baltray in 2009, even though he lost out to Shane Lowry in a play-off.

Lowry was unable to claim it as he was still an amateur at the time, but both players were in contention for the title four years on as the third round progressed - Lowry begining the day just two shots behind leaders Rock and Peter Uihlein.

Uihlein, a former world number one amateur who won the Madeira Islands Open last month, made the ideal start with a birdie on the first from ten feet and missed a good chance for another on the second after an excellent approach from a fairway bunker.

But the 23 year old then ran up a double-bogey five on the third, fluffing a chip from an awkward lie just outside a bunker and then missing from two feet after an excellent second attempt.

Rock had been in the same fairway bunker on the second and saved par with two putts from just off the back of the green, while he also made par on the third from more sand.

A birdie on the fifth then took the 36 year old to ten under par and a share of the lead with Spain's Pablo Larrazábal, who had birdied the second, fourth, fifth and ninth - the latter after an approach to five feet - to be out in 32.

France's Raphaël Jacquelin, winner of the Open de España after a record-equalling nine-hole play-off, and Lyoness Open winner Joost Luiten were a shot behind, with Lowry another two strokes back after a birdie from three feet on the second was cancelled out by a bogey on the sixth.

Luiten, who followed his victory in Austria with a share of tenth place in Munich last week, birdied the ninth, tenth and 13th to move into the outright lead on 12 under par.

He was soon joined on that score by Larrazábal, who also birdied the driveable par four 13th and then pitched to four feet for another on the par five 15th.

Rock had fallen three off the lead after his tee shot on the 11th was unlucky to stick on the bank of a fairway bunker, from where he could only hack it 30 yards down the fairway and eventually card a bogey five.

England's Paul Casey, once ranked as high as third in the Official World Golf Ranking but now 169th after struggling for form and fitness, had set the clubhouse target on nine under thanks to birdies on the last two holes in a 67.