Fichardt leads St Omer after 'hectic' day

Darren Fichardt held a five-shot lead after three rounds of the Saint Omer Open in France Saturday despite three bogeys on the back nine. Fichardt had birdied five consecutive holes earlier, which staked him to a 2-under 69 for the day and a 206 for the tournament, five strokes ahead of Simon Wakefield. Fichardt and Wakefield were the only two players under par after three rounds amid the windy conditions at Aa Saint Omer Golf Club. "I knew it would be a hectic day when we started," said Fichardt. "It turned out to be absolutely brutal. I definitely needed all my experience and patience today." The blustery weather seemed to take a toll on second-round leader Shiwan Kim, who was over par on seven holes and limped in with an 81 and relegation to 20th place. The chaos, however, worked out well for Mark Tullo, who parlayed a solid round of 4-under 67 into a move up 42 places into a tie for third with Gary Lockerbie and Wil Besseling at even-par 213.