Scott's Almost Wiped Out By A Strange Illness

Jun 1 2008 Euan Mclean

SICK Scott Strange almost collapsed on the course yesterday when a mystery illness left him light-headed and weak on the back nine.

But the gutsy Australian kept his nerve and his balance to soldier on for an excellent two-under 69 that keeps him at dizzy heights on top of the Welsh Open leaderboard.

Strange goes into today's final round on 15 under with a commanding three-shot lead over nearest challenger Alvaro Velasco and four ahead of Robert Karlsson, Jeev Milkha Singh and Raphael Jacquelin.

It's a huge chance for the 31-year-old to grab a first win in his debut Euro Tour season - but he admitted his biggest achievement yesterday was just staying on his feet.

Strange said: "I don't know what happened.

Walking down 14 I felt a little flat and by the time I made it up the hill to the 15th I was dizzy.

"I hit a poor tee shot and for the entire hole felt like I was going to fall over and throw up but I managed to get on.

"Then on 16 I had trouble trying to put the tee in the ground - I thought I was going to fall forwards. But once I had a banana, a chocolate bar and drank some water it made me feel a bit better and I managed to get home.

"I now have an uneasy feeling in my stomach and chest so will talk to the physio - but given all that I'm happy with where I'm placed.

"Hopefully I just need to lie down and let it pass so I can try to close this tournament out." Yesterday was Ladies Day at Celtic Manor and the girls in their smartest dresses added a welcome touch of glamour in stark contrast to the complete lack of it on the leaderboard.

Strange is hardly a household name, for is Spaniard Velasco, but you can't argue with the golf they have been shooting this week to upstage big names like Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke.

Yet if Strange clinches the biggest win of his career today he will still walk away with £100,000 less than Padraig Harrington who pocketed a 400 grand appearance fee then missed the cut!

There are a handful of well known faces lurking in contention such as Karlsson, Singh and Nick Dougherty who was delighted with his superb 67 that shot him up to 10 under.

It has been a hellish time for the Liverpudlian as he comes to terms with the recent death of mum Ennis who suffered a heart attack while holidaying in America.

This week, however, has given the 26-year-old the clearest sign yet that he is starting to turn the corner after playing his best golf since tragedy struck.

Dougherty said: "Obviously I have things going on off the course with the loss in my family but this is the best I have felt.

"It's so long since I performed that freely - I enjoyed it and played awesome.

"Ten under is good but more importantly is how well I played."

Dougherty has vowed to go gung-ho for the birdie blitz he will need today to peg back the runaway leader - as will Thomas Levet whose round-of-the-day 65 also sees him poised on 10 under.

Top Scot Peter Whiteford was annoyed with his 72 that dropped him back to six under but the Challenge Tour graduate is still targeting a top-10 finish that would be a huge step towards keeping his Euro Tour card.

He said: "I could have done with a few under to give myself a chance of victory but the target is still the top 10.

"I'm loving it on tour and a couple of good finishes should be a big step towards staying here."

Elsewhere, the Scottish challenge floundered as Montgomerie slumpedto a 73 then refused to discuss how he'd slipped back two shots to three under.

Playing partner Gary Orr was only marginally happier to finish above Monty by a shot with a 72.

Orr said: "I didn't play well and made a few silly mistakes which has been the story of my week."