Newport: Peter Uihlein shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday, giving the American a three-shot lead after three rounds at the Wales Open.
Uihlein had an eagle at the par-5 ninth to go with five birdies in an inconsistent round that included three bogeys. He was at 7-under 206 at Celtic Manor and was followed by Frenchmen Thomas Levet (67) and Gregory Bourdry (70) at 209.
At 210 are Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Joost Luiten and Peter Hedblom. Hedblom had the day's best round with a 66.
Second-round leader Liam Bond of Wales, who lives 10 miles from the course, fell from contention with a 78. Norway's Espen Kofstad, who was second going into the round, shot a 76 and was tied for 23rd place.
It was a bad day for European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, whose 77 dropped him from a share of fourth place to a share of 42nd.
Uihlein, who won the Madeira Islands Open this year, was at par for the round after eight holes. He then sent a long iron within 9 feet for an eagle that put him in the lead for good.
He holed a 50-footer for a birdie at the 10th, picked up another stroke at the 14th, saved par from 25 feet at the 16th and got up and down from the sand for a closing birdie.
"I was just solid and was able to plot my way around," Uihlein said. "The wind was tricky sometimes. It would lay down then it would pick up, but it was always from the same direction so you could sort of get a beat on it."
Levet mixed seven birdies with three bogeys for his 67. Bourdy had four birdies and a double bogey when he hit into the water at the short 13th. Bourdy recovered well after his mishap at the 13th, picking up a shot on 16 and ending the day right in the mix.
"I am quite happy after the end because I had to fight to get pars on 17 and 18," he said.
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