Pablo Larrazabal: I'm one of worst players in tournament, despite leading

Jun 29 2008 By David Martin

PABLO LARRAZABAL is closing in on the French Open title despite claiming he is one of the worst players in the tournament.

The unknown Spanish ace, playing only his 17th Tour event, is set to be the latest shock winner in Paris after carving out a three-shot lead.

Larrazabal (right) held his nerve to produce a four-under 67 with the highlight an approach to the 484-yard 17th that finished a foot from the pin. The world No.481 tapped in for birdie and knows he will be put to the test today.

He said: "I'm not the star of the tournament. I came from the prequalifying. There are 156 players and I am maybe the 150th best but that's not a problem for me.

"If I play like I did today it's going to be fun. I hit the ball great. I saw the names Monty and Westwood - I love to shoot lower than those."

A first prize of almost £528,000, a two-year Tour exemption and a place in The Open are there for Larrazabal's taking - but now comes the hardest part.

However, he will take heart from looking at the list of previous champions. They include Malcolm Mackenzie, when he was ranked 509th, Phil Golding and John Bickerton.