Relentless Fisher makes flying start to extend Irish Open lead
Published:Following a blistering second round of 61 at the Irish Open, Ross Fisher made a strong start to his third, establishing an even stronger lead on 15 under par.
Fisher is the 2/5 favourite to win at Killarney, and a string of early birdies consolidated his lead.
Fellow Englishman Chris Wood was in similarly good form, moving into second place on ten under par.
One of the day’s surprise packages, Richard Bland, shot an excellent third round of 66 to move up to eighth at the Irish Open.
Starting the day down in 36th place, Bland flew up 30 places to enter the clubhouse in the early afternoon on seven under par.
Another player to make an early impression was Mark Haastrup, hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Dane Thomas Bjorn, who won the Irish Open in 2005.
Of the Irish challengers, Paul McGinley steadily climbed the leaderboard with a solid first nine holes which saw him move to seven under.
The Ryder Cup vice-captain is 66/1 to win at Killarney, while his fellow deputy Darren Clarke is available at 16/1 to lift the trophy.
Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, is 12/1 to be crowned Irish Open champion, and the two-time Open Championship winner looks well set at nine under par.
Who do you think will win the Irish Open? Rory McIlroy is a 14/1 contender. See the full Irish Open Betting Odds market.
