Golf:Former Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price, now ranked a lowly 1,078th in the world, admitted he was stunned at how far he had fallen after charging into contention for the Italian Open in Turin today.
Price made the halfway cut in Turin right on the mark of level par, but carded a third-round 65 to set the early clubhouse target on seven under par alongside England’s Richard McEvoy and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay.
The Welshman memorably beat world number two Phil Mickelson in the singles at The Belfry in 2002, but has struggled recently and recorded just three top-10 finishes in the last five seasons on the European Tour.
The 43-year-old finished 198th on the money list last year and only has a tour card courtesy of a place in the top 40 of the tour’s career money list, but looked to be rediscovering the form which brought him three European Tour titles at Royal Park I Roveri.
After birdies at the first, third, fifth and ninth took him to the turn in 32, Price rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th and registered his eighth of the day on the 15th to move into a share of the lead.
A bogey on the 17th was the only blemish on his card, but Price was still delighted to card a 65, his best round for three years.
“The way I have been playing recently I’m happy just to be playing well,” Price admitted. “I’ve played more tournaments this year than I usually would and I’m working hard and it’s nice to see some returns.
“I chipped in for birdie on the first and saved par on the second and then just got on a nice run. The course is there for the taking and I think there will be more low scores this afternoon but I’m in better shape than I have been for a long time.”
Price, whose last tournament win came in the European Open in 2003, added: “I lost the appetite to do the work that you need to do. You think ‘Do I really want to make the sacrifices?’
“But I did not expect to pay such a high price for taking my foot off the accelerator.”
Low scoring was the order of the day and the later starters were also soon among the birdies.
Teenage prodigy Matteo Manassero, the 17-year-old former amateur star making his professional debut on home soil, had carded three birdies and one bogey in his first six holes, coming within inches of a hole-in-one on the sixth.
At six under par he was three behind new leader David Horsey, who had picked up four shots in his first five holes, with overnight leader Fredrik Andersson Hed, Alejandro Canizares and Nicolas Colsaerts a shot back on eight under.
Gareth Maybin, the only Irish player to make the cut, dropped further down the field today and finished on one under.