Portmarnock's Noel Fox survived a front nine assault by one of his main rivals before taking a three-shot lead into the final two rounds of the AIB Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin.

Conditions were cool and blustery, but the squalls that made scoring so difficult on Friday stayed away as Fox carded a two under par 70 to lead on six under par.

Fox is three shots clear of Stuart Manley of Wales, a 24 year old member of the Walker Cup training panel and the in-form player on the amateur scene this season.

But while the 29 year old Dubliner played steady golf to be out in one under par, Manley scorched to the turn in six under par 29 to take a two shot lead over the Irishman at that stage.

The Welshman had birdies at the first, second, fifth and eighth and an eagle two at the 369 yard seventh where he pitched into the hole from 60 yards.

Turning for home, he dropped a stroke at the difficult 466 yard 10th where he could not reach the green in two and then drove out of bounds and ran up a triple bogey seven at the 13th to hand the initiative back to Fox who had made a par.

Under pressure to win the event to improve his chances of making the Walker Cup side, Fox's putting had been tentative early on but he kept his nerve and kept plugging away.

He moved to six under for the championship with an eagle three at the eighth where he hit a wedge to 15 feet but then dropped a stroke at the redesigned par three ninth where he overshot the green.

"It was probably the shot of the day for me there," said Fox. "I hit a seven iron that pitched 15 feet short of the flag and flew through the back. But I'm pleased with my round because Stuart was playing all the golf in our group and it could have got away from me."

Although another shot went at the 11th where he overshot the green again, Fox moved one clear after Manley's triple at the 13th before moving up a gear.

First he holed from 18 feet for birdie at the 15th and then drilled a driver to three feet at the short par four 16th to set up a simple eagle two.

Four clear of Manley playing the last he was between clubs for his approach to the 18th and hit a three iron 40 feet past the front pin position and three putted for a bogey.

South African Albert Kruger is four off the lead after a two under par 70 with England's Jamie Moul a shot further back on one under.

Athlone's Colm Moriarty is the next best of the Irish on level par with Mullingar's Des Morgan clinching a place in the third last group today on two over.

AIB Irish Amateur Open, Royal Dublin GC, after 36 holes

138 N Fox (Portmarnock) 68 70
141 S Manley (Wales) 71 70
142 A Kruger (South Africa) 72 70
143 J Moul (England) 72 71
144 C Moriarty (Athlone) 74 70
145 L Corfield (England) 77 68, J Donaldson (England) 72 73
146 D Morgan (Mullingar) 73 73, R Wellington (South Africa) 72 74, J McLeary (Scotland) 72 74
147 M Campbell (Stackstown) 78 69, J Evans (England) 77 70, G Wardlow (Shandon Park) 74 73, R McCarthy (The Island) 74 73
148 N Beggs (South Africa) 79 69, B Bunny (Australia) 78 70, M Sinclair (Knock) 77 71, R Kakko (Finland) 75 73, J Foster (Ballyclare) 75 73, T Cruz (Portugal) 74 74, D Morris (Limerick) 74 74, M Mulryan (Athenry) 73 75, S Moloney (Castletroy) 73 75
149 P Bradshaw (England) 78 71, E Ramsay (Scotland) 76 73, E Vernon (England) 76 73, G Evans (England) 73 76, M McGeady (City of Derry) 73 76
150 D Crowe (Dunmurry) 79 71, H Santos (Portugal) 78 72, M Korhonen (Finland) 76 74, R Leonard (Banbridge) 74 76, E McCormack (Slieve Russell) 73 77, N Edwards (Wales) 72 78
151 M O'Sullivan (Galway) 80 71, D Berry (England) 77 74, F Illouz (France) 76 75
152 J Kehoe (Birr) 80 72, J Hutchinson (Royal Dublin) 79 73, G Hall (Edenderry) 79 73, J Moore (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 74, A Ulivo (Finland) 77 75

Non qualifiers
153 M McDermott (Stackstown) 79 74, M Collins (Sutton) 79 74, V Karhu (Finland) 79 74, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 77 76, K Moore (Douglas Isle of Man) 77 76, N Campino (Portugal) 75 78, P Ring (England) 75 78, A O'Callaghan (Douglas) 74 79, G Bowden (Hermitage) 74 79
154 R Boal (Scrabo) 81 73, B McElhinney (North West) 80 74, M Ryan (Grange) 78 76, D Gleeson (Old Conna) 78 76, C Montgomery (Malone) 77 77, P Hendriksen (England) 77 77, D Ryan (Grange) 77 77, A McCormick (Scrabo) 76 78, C McNamara (Limerick) 76 78
155 C Martin (Nenagh) 84 71, M Murphy (Waterville) 81 74, P Murray (Limerick) 81 74, R Santos (Portugal) 81 74, R Caldwell (England) 75 80
156 R Cronin (England) 81 75, P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 80 76, R Forsythe (Hilton Templepatrick) 80 76, L Harpin (Wales) 80 76, S Franklin (Athenry) 79 77, C Housden (England) 79 77, A Dowling (Hermitage) 78 78, S Wallace (Scotland) 78 78, F Flynn (L'town & B'town) 77 79, H Hanley (Grange) 77 79, S McParland (Greenore) 77 79
157 B Trainor (Warrenpoint) 83 74, L Ryan (Stackstown) 81 76, J Cunliffe (South Africa) 80 77, G Massey (Hermitage) 76 81
158 T Kogler (Austria) 81 77, J McGinn (Greenore) 81 77, K Bornemann (Douglas) 80 78
159 G O'Flaherty (Cork) 82 77, T Sundstrom (Finland) 81 78, G Lynas (Shandon Park) 80 79, A Morrow (Portmarnock) 79 80, F Whelan (L'town & B'town) 79 80, L Owens (Royal Dublin) 79 80
160 P Spargo (Australia) 85 75, C Cassidy (Portmarnock) 81 79, T Laitto (Finland) 81 79, K Canty (Douglas) 81 79, P Erofeieff (Finland) 80 80
161 D Moran (The Island) 84 77, C Conaty (Royal Dublin) 83 78, A Smith (The Island) 83 78, J Lyons (Galway) 82 79, S McVey (Banbridge) 81 80, P Relecom (Belgium) 80 81
162 S Crowe (Dunmurry) 83 79, N Lavin (Royal Dublin) 79 83, S Caul (Malahide) 78 84, A McAllister (Portmarnock) 78 84
163 T O'Mahony (Mallow) 85 78, P Purdy (Shandon Park) 82 81
164 W Fox (England) 86 78, N Vowles (England) 82 82
165 R Maher (Nenagh) 87 78, P Roos (Finland) 87 78, P McLaughlin (Ballyliffin) 85 80, D Rawluk (The Island) 81 84
167 D Dunne (Royal Dublin) 82 85
168 R Williams (Baltinglass) 83 85, E Barton (Grange) 83 85
172 B Ugeux (USA) 80 92
NR  B Christie (Skerries)
WD  J Mooney (Laytown & Bettystown)

Draw for rounds 3 and 4
(07:30/12:30) - Ulivo, Moore, Hall;
(07:39/12:39) - Hutchinson, Kehoe, Illouz;
(07:48/12:48) - Berry, O'Sullivan, Edwards;
(07:57/12:57) - McCormack, Leonard, Korhonen;
(08:06/13.06) - Santos, Crowe, McGeady;
(08:15/13.15) - Evans, Vernon, Ramsay;
(08:24/13.24) - Bradshaw, Moloney, Mulryan;
(08:33/13.33) - Morris, T Cruz, Foster;
(08:42/13.42) - Kakko, Sinclair, Bunny;
(08:51/13.51) - Beggs, McCarthy, Wardlow;
(09:00/14.00) - Evans, Campbell, McLeary;
(09:09/14.09) - Wellington, Morgan, Donaldson
(09:18/14.18) - Corfield, Moriarty, Moul;
(09:27/14.27) - Kruger, Manley, Fox.

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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