Australians Coles and Flanagan share lead in Milwaukee
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Australians Gavin Coles and Nick Flanagan, both gunning for a first U.S. PGA Tour win, shared the lead going into Sunday's final round of the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.
Coles shot 68 and Flanagan registered a one-under-par 69 in Saturday's third round at Brown Deer Park golf course to stand on 11-under-par 199 for a one-stroke lead over four players on a tightly-bunched leaderboard.
Canadian Jon Mills fired a 64 for 200, a total he shared with Sweden's Richard Johnson (70), the overnight co-leader, and Americans George McNeill (66) and Ken Duke (68).
Twenty-one players were within three shots of the lead, leading to a wide-open race for the title at a tournament missing most of golf's biggest names who are at the British Open.
Seven players among the top 10 were looking for their first Tour wins, including Mills, Duke and Johnson.
Rain and wet conditions cooled off the low-scoring that marked the first two rounds.
Coles, 39, bounced back after bogeys on the first two holes, parring out the rest of the front nine and posting four birdies on the homeward half to grab a share of the lead.
"The weather was pretty bad when we first started. It was coming down pretty heavy," said the steady, diminutive Coles, who managed to hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation.
American Kenny Perry, winner of three of his last five PGA events, registered a 69 for 204, five strokes off the pace.
Coles said he was thrilled that compatriot Greg Norman, at age 53, was leading the British Open after three rounds.
"You know, basically I'm playing in America because Greg Norman showed us that we could be here," Coles said about Norman's influence on other Australian golfers.
"Back in the 90s, he was the guy we all looked up to. So if he wins the British Open at 53...I'm only 5-4 but still looking up to him. It's going be unbelievable, and I hope he does it."
(Writing by Larry Fine in New York, Editing by Rex Gowar)
