Challenge de France
Mike Miller finished top Scot in the Challenge de France at Sable Solesmes, near Le Mans yesterday, and might have got among the leading prizes but for a torrential downpour midway through his round.
The Glasgow-based 47-year-old was at 11 under for the tournament, having gone out in 33. But successive bogeys in the rain at holes 10 and 11 set him back. ''It was horrendous,'' he said. ''I lost a little concentration and missed from five feet for par at 10.''
In the final shake-up Miller finished in joint seventh place, five shots out of a play-off in which Warren Bennett beat Scott Watson with a birdie 2 at the second extra hole.
Ross Drummond, in last place after Saturday's 81, kept a bogey off his card, returning a 67 with five birdies for 290, two over par. ''I was determined not to finish last, more for confidence than
anything else,'' he said. ''I'm on the main tour next week at Hanbury Manor and a good finish there would get me into Slaley Hall while my ranking should see me into the Madeira Open. So if I play well in the next three weeks I could get my card back.'' Leading scores:
(Great Britain or Ireland unless stated).
272 - W Bennett 69, 70, 65, 68 (#8,121); S Watson 70, 68, 64, 70 (#5,411); (Bennett won play-off at second extra hole).
273 - M Olander (Sweden) 65, 69, 69, 70 (#3,051).
276 - O Edmond (France) 70, 67, 68, 71; A Balicki (France) 67, 68, 70, 71; T Nielsen (Norway) 68, 70, 68, 70; (#2,133).
277 - M Scarpa (Italy) 70, 70, 69, 68; M Miller 71, 68, 69, 69; (#1,677).
278 - D Lee 67, 70, 72, 69; A Langenaeken (Belgium) 66, 70, 72, 70; R Gonzalez (Argentina) 69, 67, 72, 70; D Higgins 69, 67, 67, 75; (#1,313).
Other GB & I scores:
279 - J Mellor 72, 67, 71, 69.
281 - S Gallacher 72, 70, 69, 70.
282 - R Wragg 69, 73, 75, 65; J Robinson 70, 70, 71, 71.
284 - S Andrew 69, 72, 69, 74; M Litton 66, 72, 70, 76.
285 - D R Jones 68, 72, 72, 73.
286 - A Butterfield 72, 68, 79, 67.
290 - R Drummond 71, 71, 81, 67.
qNeil Coles, the 63-year-old veteran of eight Ryder Cups, won the Philips PFA Seniors Classic at the first hole of a sudden death play-off with Northern Ireland's David Jones at Meon Valley, Southampton.
Coles pipped the 51-year-old former PGA club champion with a 20-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 eighteenth. Coles had closed with a similar putt 15 minutes earlier for a 67 to tie on 13-under-par 203 with Jones, who also birdied from three feet for his 68. Leading third round scores & final totals:
(Great Britain and Ireland unless stated).
203 - N Coles 67, 69, 67; D Jones 70, 65, 68 (Coles won play-off at 1st extra hole).
206 - D Oakley (USA) 70, 70, 66.
207 - J McDermott 67, 70, 70.
209 - B Sandry 71, 68, 70; J Garner 73, 70, 66.
210 - D Creamer 67, 70, 73.
211 - T Horton 71, 68, 72.
212 - J Fourie (Russia) 70, 71, 71; J Rhodes 71, 70, 71; J Carr (USA) 69, 72, 71; P Leonard 70, 70, 72; L Higgins 70, 69, 73.
213 - M Slater 66, 73, 74; C Defoy 76, 65, 72.
214 - D Snell 73, 71, 70.
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