Bradley Dredge edged ahead of overnight pacesetter Brett Rumford at the top of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters leaderboard at the start of today's third round. With conditions ideal for scoring, Dredge reeled off back-to-back birdies to progress to 10 under par after three holes. Playing partner Rumford remained at nine under after handing back an early advantage which had briefly doubled his one-shot overnight lead in glorious sunshine at the Doha Golf Club, in complete contrast to Thursday's blustery conditions. Robert Karlsson joined European No 1 Lee Westwood at seven under par with his own run of back-to-back birdies, although Oliver Wilson's challenge stumbled with an ugly early double-bogey.
Wilson, who held the first-round lead alongside Dredge, needed two chips to escape the thick rough at the side of the second green, but bounced back with a birdie to join Paul Casey and the clubhouse leader Retief Goosen at six under par. Former champion Goosen dropped just one shot in a six-under 66, with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano also safely home at four under after a bogey-free 67. "It was a great round," said 2007 winner Goosen. "I struggled a bit for the first two rounds, but today I was a little more comfortable and hit it nicely and made a few putts. I hit it close to the flags and if you do that you have a chance for a birdie.
"You shouldn't complain really with a 66, but it comes at a time you know you had a chance for a really low round and I messed it up a little on the par fives and missed a couple of birdie putts that I should have made. "But overall, I am very happy, but it means I am going to have to shoot something under 65 tomorrow to have a chance to win." * PA Sport