Enlarge imageBy John O'Brien
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ian Poulter dropped four shots in six holes to slip back into a three-way tie for the lead at the rain-hit Singapore Open on Saturday as a third weather delay in as many days ended play early midway through the third round.
As dark clouds loomed ominously over the Serapong Course, officials called the players in for their own safety just minutes after Briton Poulter had bogeyed the sixth to join Frenchman Thomas Levet and Japan's Kodai Ichihara on eight-under par.
Australia's Andrew Dodt and China's Liang Wenchong are a shot behind the co-leaders, one ahead of Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang, Briton Richard Finch and Sweden's Niclas Fasth on a tight leaderboard where four strokes separate the top 19 players.
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Resuming his second round in the morning, Poulter surged five shots clear of the field with a flawless seven-under 64 and appeared so relaxed after a six-week layoff that a first European Tour win in three years began to look a formality.
However, the 33-year-old suffered a Halloween horror show after he returned to the course in the mid-afternoon and when he hooked the opening tee shot to his third round into the rough, his demeanour changed as error after error crept into his game.
He three-putted to drop a shot on the par-four first hole but much worse was to follow on the tricky par-five fourth, where he opted to attack the green with his second shot from a poor lie and succeeded only in dunking his approach in the water.
DIFFICULT PINS
Finally on the green in four, he underhit his long par putt and took two more shots to complete the hole with an ugly double-bogey, cutting his lead to just one shot.
The difficult pin positions were proving a challenge to a majority of the field but Poulter's problems were on the tee and another errant drive and poor chip led to his fourth dropped shot and the Englishman was suddenly absorbed by the chasing pack.
Levet and Ichihara, meanwhile, were going about their work quietly, each registering two birdies on their front nines and playing par golf the rest of the way before the weather warning halted play for the day.
Frenchman Levet was a little surprised to be in a share of the lead but was glad his hard work off the course was paying off in Singapore.
"I have been playing well on practice day the last two months but really ugly in the tournaments," he told reporters.
"I just kept telling myself to wait for it to come and it looks like it's finally happening. The driving is still quite poor but the rest, from the fairways to the greens, is pretty good.
"I am looking forward to tomorrow because I love a battle."
The diminutive Ichihara insisted he would continue to attack the course as his confidence was high.
"I will play for the win as I am in a good position," he said. "It's a tough course for me and rather long and need a lot of mid-irons and hybrids just to reach the greens.
"But this is making me play safe, which is a good thing for this course."
None of the 70 players remaining in the $5 million co-sanctioned event after the cut was made at one-over have yet completed their third rounds and they face a long day on the course on Sunday to try and finish the tournament on schedule.
There will be no draw once the third round is complete and the groups that went out on Saturday will remain intact for the final 18 holes
(Editing by Nick Mulvenney)
