Peter Lawrie was the pick of the early starters on day three at the Sicilian Open as the overnight leaders prepared to begin their penultimate rounds.
Irishman Lawrie, who resumed this morning on one over par, birdied three of his first four holes before picking up further shots at seven and 13, taking him to four under for the tournament.
That left him five behind Anthony Wall, who held a two-stroke advantage over Richard Green and Raphael Jacquelin at the summit.
Scot Peter Whiteford was alongside Lawrie in a tie for ninth after picking up four shots in his first 12 holes, while Simon Dyson, Phillip Price and José Manuel Lara had also climbed to the same score.
Experienced Englishman John Bickerton was a shot further back, having followed five birdies with a bogey at the 17th.
France’s Grégory Bourdy, Spaniard Manuel Quiros and English trio Graeme Storm, Lee Slattery and Steve Lewton all carded rounds of 67 to move to two under.
Former US Open champion Michael Campbell also made positive progress after making his first cut of the season. A 69 lifted the New Zealander to level par for the tournament.
