As It Happened - 3 Irish Open Day Three

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by Brendan Cole

1715 Molinari's birdie effort slips just past on the left. He finishes on -11.

Fisher slides his putt past the hole and has just over two-feet for par which he negotiates calmly to finish on -12.

Fisher and Wood will be the final pairing tomorrow as Wood finished on -11 first.

Fernandez-Castano and Molinari will be out next with Harrington and Green in the third last group.

Noh missed that birdie chance and stay on -8 and he'll play with Anders Hansen; those four groups contain the main contenders.

1710 On the 18th, Fisher again grips down his iron and he plays a very nice little draw shot just short of the flag. Par at least there.

Molinari's shot is also well played; short of the flag and a little to the right of this front left pin position.

Rory McIlroy actually finished on two-under for the tournament.

1705 Molinari's tee shot on 18 is safe and down the middle. Good distance too with his driver.

Fisher takes three-wood and it goes left, flirting with the water. It takes a soft bounce though and stays out of the hazard. Good position.

1703 Hansen will have a long par putt after playing a recovery shot from just in front of the green on 18. Coming down a steep slope he misses it and it looks like he will finish on -8.

Fisher hit a lovely putt on 17 and it all but went it but stalled right by the back of the hole. Back to 12-under with a very tough hole to come.

1700 Both Fisher and Molinari play their second shots to the tricky 17th green short.

Fisher chips from just off the green and it is not a great shot - he will have eight feet for par. Molinari putts and gets it up alongside the hole. Again, nicely played.

Fernandez-Castano holes out on 18 and it is a double bogey for him. He is back to ten-under after playing really well over the front nine and pressing the leaders all day.

Harrington is tied-fifth on nine-under.

Anders Hansen is also nine-under but he may not finish on that mark after playing his approach to 18 up to the water hazard.

Not sure it has gone in, but he is certainly in trouble.

Noh (-8) plays a superb shot in from the middle of the fairway, landing his ball by the flag and stopping it there.

1655 On the 18th tee, Noh has hit his three-wood straight down the middle. Nicely done.

Up on the green, Harrington has holed that long putt! Superb par four after finding the water off the tee.

He fires his ball into the crowd to huge applause.

Nine-under and not quite out of it after his 69 with some tough holes coming up for the leaders.

Fernandez-Castano's fourth on the 18th is beyond the flag and he will have to come down a steep slope behind the pin.

Two putts for double bogey and -10.

Back on 17, Molinari and Fisher play three-woods straight down the middle.

1650 Both Molinari and Fisher two-putt for pars on 16.

Noh Seung-yul has had an interesting 20 minutes - a triple bogey on 15 and an eagle on 16. He is eight-under after parring 17.

Fernadnez-Castano has put his second out of bounds on the 18th. He was a long way back after his tee shot and will have to have another go.

1645 Fisher has 118 yards to go into the wind.

'I'm liking that shot' says Fisher as he chats with his caddie.

Down the grip of a nine-iron, he hits his shot the right distance but it stayed well right of the hole. Long birdie putt coming up.

Molinari's shot is also well out to the right of the green. Neither man quite found the right plan of attack there.

On 18, Harrington's third is to the right of the green. Long putt to save par.

1640 Molinari's lay-up on 16 is good - just to the right of the fairway in the first cut he will have a pitch and putt for birdie from a good angle. Fisher also lays up to the right of the fairway.

But there is a disaster on 18, Harrington has found the water down the left with his driver.

Fernandez-Castano has played an iron and will have a monster second over water; there is a safe shot down the right side for him.

1635 Fisher's third on 15 is a high pitch that leaves him 25 feet for par and he can't make the putt. Back to 13-under. Molinari's long birdie putt is again right up to the hole. Still 11-under.

On 16, Molinari's drive looks way right. He will have to lay up from there. Fisher's tee shot is a little left and he has found the fairway bunkers on that side.

On 17, Harrington has a key birdie putt to get to 10-under but he plays just a little to much break and remains on 9-under. Fernandez-Catano has a tester from four-feet for par but he makes no mistake. Still -12.

1630 Fisher has played up to right of the 15th green and has a tough up and down to come.

1625 Molinari makes that birdie putt - he is now in to eleven under. Fisher pushes his putt right of the hole though and remains at 14-under.

On 18, Richard Green has played a sweet approach just past the flag and he will have a good birdie chance to get to 10-under. The putt is given every chance but slips just by on the right. Nine-under after shooting 69.

Fernandez-Castano's chip on 16 is pretty good but he will have six-footer to test that new putting stroke. Harrington's putt is good on the same hole; birdie four he is back to nine-under.

Fernandez-Castano pushes this one right - a little tentative. Par despite reaching the green in two. Still 12-under.

On the 15th tee, Molinari has played a lovely drive down the middle of this 430 yard par four. Fisher's drive is hooked left and towards some trees.

1620 On 16, Fernandez-Castano is taking a long club and having a cut at the green.

'FORE!' is the shout as his shot soars towards the crowd but the ball may have caught a branch of one of the trees overhanging the edge of the green and it settles just beside the green in the first cut.

Harrington has laid up on the same hole but he plays lovely wedge, spinning it back off the slope and he will have a tricky downhiller for a birdie.

McIlroy's chip on 18 is pretty good. But it looks like a double bogey finish. He is four-under for the tournament. A shame after his quick start.

Wood, playing alongside the Ulsterman, pars the last which means he has shot 66 and is eleven-under.

Molinari has played a fine approach to the 15th; his best birdie chance in a while coming up. Fisher finds his range on this one, he is inside 8 feet.

1615 On 18, McIlroy found water off the tee. His third is straight at the flag but comes up just short and also finds the pond just in front of the difficult pin position.

Disaster finish for the 21-year-old.

Wood (-11) is also playing 18; his approach is over the top of the flag and just left of the green. Easy chip and putt for par coming up.

1610 Molinari has seen another putt slide just by the hole from distance. Another par, he remains ten under. Fisher also pars the hole.

Clarke has finished with a bogey - and an even par round of 71 with a bogey/bogey finish over his closing two holes.

Paul McGinley, playing alongside, also shoots even par 71.

Both are on six-under.

1605 The leaders have reached 13. Molinari has again found the middle of the green. It's real US Open stuff from the Italian; he is missing some fairways but every iron is to the heart of the green.

Fisher, from the middle of the fairway is again alongside him. His irons have dipped a little bit; he is playing from much easier positions than Molinari.

Harrington has another tester for par on 15 but he again finds the middle of the cup.

On 18, Clarke's second shot goes well left of the green. Tricky spot he will do well to make par.

1600 Fernandez-Castano just misses with his birdie try - he is putting far better after working with American guru Stan Utley.

The Spaniard often contrives to miss all sorts of putts, especially short ones, but he has his feet very close together and it is working this week.

Harrington does make his three there - back to eight-under with four to play.

Clarke can't complete his up and down, another putt just underhit.

1557 Fernandez-Castano has played his approach very nicely tot he 14th, another birdie chance. Harrington, with a wedge, gets his ball within a few feet on the same hole. Very well played.

On 17, Woods has found the fairway with a rescue club.

Poorish putt from Molinari. Fisher's effort is no better - yanked left. Two pars.

On 17, Clarke has a tricky chip from behind the hole and in a little hollow. Well played but he will have five feet for par.

1555 On the 14th, Fernandez-Castano has played a nice tee shot from the raised tee. Left of the fairway.

Richard Green has had an up and down day, a chip in here, a double bogey there.

Molinari is slightly behind a tree on the 12th and also stuck in a tricky lie. From 167 yards he cuts his ball up to the front of the green. Nice recovery.

Fisher, from 147, also plays his shot short of the flag.

On 16, Woods has parred the hole - which was a live eagle chance on Thursday and Friday. Still -11.

1550 Harrington has holed another lovely putt - but it is again a long one for par.

Still seven-under through 13.

On the tee on the 12th, Molinari has gone a long way right and into some deep rough. Fisher's tee shot is also a touch right.

Both are a long way down the hole though.

1545 Clarke has played a nice approach into the par-five 16th. It is playing into the wind, so that looked like it was his third.

He is eight-under at the moment and will stay that as his birdie putt just slides by the hole. Two to play.

1540 Another birdie for Fernandez-Castano, he holed that putt and is now within two.

Back on the 11th, Molinari has had a drop off the cart path. He has a little discussion about the rules with Fisher; the ball was dropped within a club length of the path but bounced outside that distance. Which is no problem, as an official confirms.

From just over 160 yards, up hill and into a 10mph cross wind from his left, he plays a five-iron just to the left of the flag. Nicely done.

Fisher's approach is just inside the Italian's with a six. Two good shots.

1530 Fernandez-Castano has made another birdie chance on the 12th - very nice iron shot up to within 15 feet.

1525 Fisher has found the green on the 10th.

Up ahead, Fernandez-Castano holes his par putt to remain in a share of second.

McIlroy has had another bogey, he is back to five-under with four holes to play.

Wood's birdie try on 14 is another nicely played putt with a tricky ridge to negotiate. He'll par the hole.

1520 Fisher's birdie putt on nine misses. Molinari also pars the hole, leaving his effort well short from medium range.

Harrington's chip is played into the bank - he has done that very well all week - and runs up to within five-feet.

Fernandez-Castano, tied for second, lifts his ball up a bit higher and runs it past the hole. Similar distance putt to Harrington for him, but it may be downhill.

1515 Fernandez-Castano (-11) on the par-four 11th pushed his drive left a touch and his approach hangs out the right. Tricky chip.

Harrington hit a better drive, down the right of the fairway.

But he finds the same spot as Fernandez-Castano - below the green in a little collection area to the right.

Fisher, on the ninth, hits another nice iron shot. Birdie putt coming up.

On 14, Darren Clarke has found a bunker but he almost holes the bunker shot. Par, and he will stay eight-under.

1510 Fisher two-putted to drop a shot there. Back to 14-under.

On the tee on the ninth, he crashes another perfect drive down the middle.

On 13, Wood holes another short birdie putt to move to 11-under.

1505 Fisher chose to replay the shot from the original position instead of from the far side of the water hazard. This time, he keeps it well right of the flag and it goes long.

25 feet or so for par.

Defending champion Shane Lowry is going well, he is in to six-under after eagling the 16th. He pars 17 and is just outside the top 10.

Remarkable given his struggles on Thursday.

1500 A 'chippy eight iron' is the caddie's recommendation for Fisher on the eighth.

He has 131 yards into the wind.

This time, he draws it too much and it pops into the same stream Harrington went into a few minutes ago.

Very tricky up and down for Fisher from there; Harrington had to hole a putt from over 10-feet to save double-bogey.

1450 Molinari has found a nasty spot on the eighth, driving well to the right and towards some bushes and trees.

Clarke has just missed a par-putt to remain at nine-under - he drops to -8.

1445 The leaders are playing the seventh. Both play up to the front of the green, where they have very long eagle putts.

Fisher goes first, and he again shows his lovely touch - from 50-feet or so he gets to tap in range.

Molinari also putts very well from long range. Two birdies.

Molinari is 10-under, Fisher 16-under.

Harrington has another short game challenge on the eighth and this time he can't find the piece of magic.

From rough on the right of the green, he hits a stabby chip a little heavy and sees it run over the green and into the water hazard on the left hand side of it.

He chooses to drop on the far side of the little river - he could have gone back where he played the first shot but - and his chip over the river leaves him with 12 feet.

He then holes that putt for double-bogey. Back to seven under through eight.

On 11, McIlroy fails to get up and down from the bunker in front of the green. His bunker shot was pretty good but he was tentative from four feet. Back to six-under.

1430 On seven, Harrington has an eagle putt but he hits it a little hard and it doesn't take the break until after the hole.

He makes no mistake with the short putt for his third birdie of the day - nine-under.

That puts him level with Molinari, who is getting caught by the pack - he has struggled to make birdies since the end of his front-nine yesterday. He cards Another par on six, where Fisher also gets a par to remain on fifteen-under.

Par-five seventh coming up - both men should have eagle chances.

Wood has finally parred a hole, but he is in second on his own on ten-under.

Richard Green has chipped in on the ninth for birdie and is now nine-under.

1425 On nine, Wood has left himself a lot to do, with about a 40-foot putt.

It is no trouble to him though; he rolls it in for his fifth birdie in a row.

Remarkable stuff, he is now ten under - five behind Fisher.

McIlroy almost follows him in but his putt pulls up just short. It was right on line. Still seven-under, that flying start a distant memory.

1420 Over on the ninth, McIlroy has tugged his iron shot left a touch but found the putting surface.

Michael Hoey has an eagle chance on seven and he putts it very nicely up to the hole and has a tap in for birdie. Back to seven-under.

Molinari actually found a bunker; not much green to work with and he runs the shot past the hole. Tricky par putt.

1415 Harrington has chipped quite well from there and skips over the stream via a few rocks.

Eight feet for par and he knocks it in.

Fernadnez-Castano - formerly a very poor putter - holes out for birdie on the same hole.

Back on five, Molinari has pushed his tee-shot left and into the rough. From 175 yards he comes up short and will need to get up and down from the rough.

Fisher is long and straight down the middle off the tee. Gripping down the shaft of a wedge from 142 yards, he plays a perfect iron shot that lands just short of the hole and rolls up to within a foot or so.

He really is striking it very well.

1405 Molinari has holed a longish par putt on the fourth; he left his approach putt very short.

On the eighth, Wood has rolled in his fourth birdie in a row to go to nine-under.

On six, Fernandez-Castano has played a peach of an iron shot. Harrington, playing alongside him, has hung his out to the right, so far wide of the target it is the opposite side of the little stream in front of the green.

McIlroy has missed a long par putt on eight. Back to seven-under.

1355 Darren Clarke is eight-under and his second to the eighth is prettty good - birdie chance from about 15 feet.

Noh Seung-Yul has also moved to eight-under.

Lots of birdies out there, even though it is quite windy.

1350 Francesco Molinari is on the third and has just left a putt short for birdie. He has found all three greens in regulation so far, and hit three nice putts.

Still nine-under. Fisher also pars the hole and is 13-under.

Up on the 7th, Chris Wood has just missed with an eagle chip but his ball just stays out.

A third birdie in a row for the tall Englishman though, and he moves to eight-under.

McIroy, playing with Wood, putts up to the hole from distance and makes birdie to get to eight-under as well.

The seventh is playing very easy though, with a following wind.

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13.45 The big news of the day is that Rory McIlroy birdied two already today and soared up to nine-under-par, but has dropped two shots and moved back to seven-under-par after six-under-par.

13.43 Sorry about the radio silence since 10.14. There has been no coverage until now so there was little info to bring you.

10.14 Michael Hoey goes out at 12.48pm, while Paddy Harrington will start his third round at 12.57. The top two, Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher, go out at 1.15pm.

10.13 Rory McIlroy will tee-off nine minutes later at 12.30pm.

10.12 Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley will head out on to the course at 12.21pm. Those two Irish golfing talismen are on six-under-par.

10.11 Graeme McGrane is next out at 12.03pm. McGrane lies at five-under-par.

10.10 Defending champion Shane Lowry will start the third round on three-under-par. He tees off today at 11.22am.

10.07 Graeme McDowell just made the cut last night on level par. He teed off today at 8.21am. Barrie Trainor was in action at 7.45am - he also started the day at level par.

9.55 Ross Fisher shot a superb 61 to snatch the lead in Killarney on Friday, but there are plenty of Irish nipping at his heels. Padraig Harrington, Michael Hoey and Rory McIlroy are all on seven-under-par - just five shots off Fisher.

9.53 Hello folks and welcome back to another day's coverage of the 3 Irish Open from Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, County Kerry.