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Zanotti edges into Oman lead
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Zanotti edges into Oman lead

Fabrizio Zanotti birdied two of his last three holes to take a one shot lead into the final round of the weather delayed Oman Open.

Fabrizio Zanotti

Wind and sandstorms on day two had disrupted the event but the field were completing round three on Sunday morning in much calmer conditions and it showed in the scoring.

Zanotti returned to finish his last 14 holes and played them in five under to sign for a 68 and move to eight under, one shot clear of Scott Jamieson.

The Scotsman made five birdies in six holes around the turn in a 66 that left him a shot ahead of Dane Joachim B. Hansen, Swede Peter Hanson and German Maximilian Kieffer.

American Kurt Kitayama was then at five under.

There was no re-draw for the fourth round, meaning Zanotti would head out in the penultimate group at 11.55 as the Paraguayan looked for his second European Tour title.

India's Gaganjeet Bhullar made a birdie and a bogey in four holes on Saturday and another gain on the sixth moved him into a share of the lead.

Zanotti had lost ground early in round three but back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh got him to five under where he would soon be joined by the flying Jamieson.

The 2013 Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS HANDA winner resumed on the seventh and started Sunday with a hat-trick of birdies to turn in 32 and catapult himself into a share of the lead.

Overnight leader Kieffer made a first birdie of the day on the seventh to edge back ahead but a Jamieson gain on the 11th meant the lead was shared once more.

Hansen also birdied the seventh to get back within one of the lead.

Jamieson then made a sixth birdie in eight holes on the 12th to move ahead but Kieffer birdied the ninth to join him, with Hansen also picking up a shot before the turn.

A Jamieson gain at the 14th put him back in the solo lead but the calmer conditions were bringing plenty of birdies, and Hansen, Bhullar and Zanotti all picked up shots on the tenth.

Zanotti bogeyed the 11th but the birdied the 12th, and with Hansen and Kieffer both also taking advantage of the par five, there was a three-way tie for the lead.

Jamieson made a first bogey of the day on the 16th but Kieffer and Hansen both slipped up on the 14th as the trio brought the lead back to seven under and ten players were within three shots.

Hanson had been three under for his seven holes when play was suspended on day three and he quickly made a birdie on the ninth to get to five under.

A run of seven pars would follow but the two time Ryder Cup winner made a birdie-birdie finish to sit just one back of Jamieson's clubhouse lead.

Bhullar dropped a shot on the 15th to slide to five under where he joined the surging Kitayama.

The Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita champion started round three a shot off the lead but made a quadruple bogey on the first and was seven back after three holes when play ended on day three.

He started Sunday birdie-bogey but added gains on the sixth, seventh, ninth and 11th and when he eagled the 12th, he was back to level par for his round. Another birdie on the 14th then had him within two of the lead.

A Hansen bogey on the 15th dropped him out of the lead but he was quickly replaced by Zanotti, who birdied the par five 16th.

Kieffer made a second bogey of the day on the 17th and when Zanotti birdied the last to take stop spot on his own, the long time leader was two back.

Bhullar finished with a bogey to drop into the group at four under alongside England's Chris Paisley, Belgian Thomas Pieters, Swede Sebastian Soderberg, Frenchman Clément Sordet and Japan's Hideto Tanihara.

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