By Brian Keogh

Tiger Woods will remain king of The European Club despite Brendan McGovern's magnificent five-under par 66 in the third round of the Irish Professional Championship.

Woods turned up at the Pat Ruddy designed links the week before the 2002 Open at Muirfield and fired a four-under par 67 from the back tees.

Exactly five years and two days later, the 41-year old Headfort professional took on world No 10 Padraig Harrington and reeled off seven birdies and two bogeys to beat him by four shots and take a two stroke lead into the fourth and final round yesterday afternoon.

But his 66 will not count as a new course record as forward tees were used on several holes to facilitate the pace of play.

With the course measuring 7,149 yards from the tips that summer, Woods eagled the third and birdied the 12th, 13th and 16th with his only dropped shot coming at the par-three 14th.

The course now stretches to a massive 7,355 yards but this week the professional have not played from more than 7,100 yards and as a result, McGovern's effort will not count as a links record.

"It's like the Olympic Games," owner Ruddy said earlier in the week when asked about the possibility of a new record. "The lads in the 100 metres have to run the full 100 metres and not just 95."

The third round of the €81,000 Irish Championship could not be completed on Thursday as torrential rain and then fog forced three stoppages in play.

But when the action finally got going yesterday it was the man from Lucan and not Ballyroan-born Harrington who hit top form in the race for the €12,500 winner's cheque.

“I played well. I just really enjoyed it,” said McGovern, who finished on eight under par after 54 holes. “Padraig is a friend of mine. I played nine holes with him the year he turned pro at the tour school and a practice round with him at Wentworth and a practice round the year I played in the Open in 1997.”

McGovern still held on to a one-stroke lead over Harrington on seven under par after seven holes of the final round.

PGA Irish Championship
The European Club (Par 71)
After 54 holes
205 B McGovern (Headfort) 69 70 66
207 P Harrington (Bank of Ireland Corporate Finance) 69 68 70
214 D Higgins (Waterville) 70 70 74
215 M Collins (Mallow Golf Range) 70 74 71, N Fox (Unatt.) 70 72 73
216 L Walker (Dundalk) 73 73 70, P Walton (Unatt.) 70 74 72
217 W O'Callaghan (Carrigdhoun Golf Range) 73 73 71
218 D Mooney (Nevada Bobs Belfast) 72 73 73, M Staunton (Black Bush) 76 69 73
220 J Dwyer (Ashbourne) 75 74 71, B Trainor (Unatt.) 74 74 72
221 P Martin (Riverside Golf Academy) 76 71 74
223 I Kerr (Carlow Golf Range) 79 69 75, J Murray (Malahide) 75 71 77, M Hoey (Unatt.) 69 76 78
224 D Mortimer (Team Ireland) 77 76 71, A Murray (Greystones) 72 76 76
227 F Howley (Carton House) 76 77 74, J Bolger (Kilkenny) 76 76 75
228 J Langan (Leopardstown Golf Ctr) 75 77 76, S Donnelly (Castle Hume) 80 71 77, J Dignam (Slade Valley) 73 75 80
229 M McGeady (Unatt.) 76 75 78, P Jones (Coollattin) 73 77 79
230 R Giles (Greenore) 76 78 76 79, Lee Owens (Elm Park) 78 76 76, E Brady (Clontarf) 77 76 77, G Robinson (Coollattin) 78 74 78, L Bowler (Wexford) 75 75 80, D Ryan (Cahir Park) 73 77 80
231 P Hanna (Fortwilliam) 77 76 78, S Fitzpatrick (Powerscourt) 76 76 79, D McWilliams (Royal Portrush) 77 75 79
233 D Gleeson (PGA National Ireland) 80 74 79, G Loughrey (Roganstown) 74 78 81
235 S Clinton (Portsalon 75 79 81, G Wardlow (Dunmurry) 75 77 83
236 J Kelly (St Margaret's) 82 74 80, T Higgins (T.H. Golf) 78 77 81, J Roche (Unatt.) 80 74 82, J Pitkanen (Navan GC) 73 80 83, M Ward (P & M Golf Superstore) 76 76 84
237 P O'Rourke (Unatt.) 79 77 81, K Coveney (Killarney) 78 73 86
239 P Fay (County Meath) 80 76 83
240 B Smyth (Ardee) 80 75 85
241 A Moran (Westport) 78 77 86, E Tracey (Ballina 78 77 86
DSQ P Thompson (Powerscourt) 77 78 DSQ