Soderberg and Syme share lead at Wales Open

Newport (Wales), Aug 22: Sebastian Soderberg conquered tricky conditions and the Celtic Manor course to share the lead with Connor Syme after the third round of the Wales Open.

Soderberg carded a blemish-free score of 68, including birdies at the fourth, ninth and 15th holes, to move to seven under par for the tournament.

The Swede joins Syme - who has held at least a share of top spot over all three days so far - at the summit, though a chasing pack will hope to make up ground on Sunday.

The duo sit three clear of Sami Valimaki, who in turn is a shot ahead of Edoardo Molinari and Thomas Pieters.

Strong winds and heavy rain made scoring difficult for the field, though Soderberg stayed calm to raise hopes of a second career victory on the European Tour.

"It's probably one of the better bogey-free rounds I've ever played," he told the European Tour's website.

"I hit a lot of good shots, always kept the ball in play off the tee and my short game was just perfect every time I was in trouble. It wasn't stress free, but it was very good."

For Syme, who birdied the par-five 18th for a third successive day to match Soderberg's overall total, there is the possibility of ending his wait for a title. The Scotsman finished in a tie for third a week ago in the Celtic Classic, which was held at the same venue.

There is also the added bonus of earning of a trip to the U.S. Open next month, as the top 10 in the UK Swing Order of Merit will qualify for the second major of the year.