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Casey, Dredge share lead at Qatar Masters

Sat 30th, January 2010

Doha, Qatar (Sports Network) - Paul Casey fired a six-under 66 to share the third-round lead Saturday with Bradley Dredge at the Qatar Masters.

Dredge had a two-under 70, making a late birdie to join Casey at 10-under 206.

Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood (70) was one shot back at nine-under 207, while Robert Karlsson (70) and second-round leader Brett Rumford (73) were tied at eight-under 208.

The top 19 players on the leaderboard -- a group that also included defending champion Alvaro Quiros, 2007 winner Retief Goosen and stars Sergio Garcia and Camilo Villegas -- were separated by only six shots, making the leaders anything but comfortable up top.

But for Casey, just being in the mix is a welcome relief. The 32-year-old Englishman missed three straight cuts at the Qatar Masters before this year, and a rib injury forced him to miss most of the second half of last season.

"I feel like I've made a really good progression the last couple of weeks and it's been great," said Casey, who started his 2010 season in the Unites States a few weeks ago. "I feel like I've sharpened up my skills on the golf course and eliminated the mistakes and I'm ecstatic to be on top of the leaderboard."

Casey, a 10-time European Tour winner, had seven birdies in a near-flawless third round. After making three birdies on the front nine for an outward 33, he quickly added three more birdies in his first four holes on the back side of the Doha course.

Only a bogey at the par-four 15th kept Casey from posting his second spotless round in a row. He re-gained the lost stroke with a birdie at the 17th to take the clubhouse lead.

Because of his past failures in Qatar, Casey thought about skipping the tournament, even telling his coach that he planned on not playing.

"It was hard not to return," said Casey, "and I'm very happy I did."

Dredge had a hot start, making back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes. But a bad tee shot on No. 5 led to a double-bogey that nearly derailed his round.

"I was struggling there. I was looking for a way to make a [bogey] and couldn't really do much about it. I took six in the end and just got on with it," Dredge said.

He made two more birdies on the front nine for a 34, then bogeyed the 13th hole to fall to nine-under par. Chasing Casey's clubhouse number, Dredge, a two-time winner, birdied the par-three 17th to earn his share of the lead.

The 36-year-old Welshman missed more chances to pick up shots on the back nine, and the reason was clear to him.

"Didn't knock in enough putts," he said.

NOTES: Quiros (68) and Oliver Wilson (72) shared sixth place at seven-under 209...Goosen (66) led a three-way tie at 210...Garcia (72) and Villegas (70) were in a large group at 212...Charl Schwartzel, who is attempting to join Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three consecutive appearances on the European Tour, was also at 212.