NEWPORT, June 4, 2011 (AFP) - Defending champion Graeme McDowell suffered a third round collapse at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor here on Saturday, crashing to an 81 to equal the worst ever round of his entire European Tour career.
On the course where he emerged as Europe's Ryder Cup hero last October the world number five slumped from one off the lead overnight to a yawning 11 strokes adrift with a three round total of 216.
In stark contrast, Swede Alex Noren, the overnight leader, added a 71 to his rounds of 67 and 67 to give him an eight under par total of 205, one shot clear of compatriot Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen.
For McDowell, now languishing in joint 33rd, this was an untimely slip up coming less than a fortnight before he tees off for the defence of his US Open title.
It could have been even worse as he thought he he might get a two-shot penalty for tapping down the ground as a chip came back to him on the 12th, but he escaped that because it was done in anger rather than with the intention to improve his lie.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed," the Northern Irishman said. "I got off to a start where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
"I just couldn't get anything going. It was the most crazy seven holes I've had in a long time - my head was spinning.
"I feel I got heavily punished for some mediocre golf, not disastrously bad golf.
"After the 11th (a bogey six on a reachable par five) I completely lost my patience and at 12 (a quadruple bogey eight) I just lost my head. That was me gone.
"I felt like I was in control of my game, but I very swiftly got out of control.
"I've made more double bogeys and triple bogeys this season than ever and I need to address that and understand why that is. It kind of broke my heart a little bit.
"Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll try to shoot 66-67, then lick my wounds and get ready for Congressional. But there are some mental areas that I've got to address."
McDowell's previous worst rounds on the European circuit were 81s at Valderrama in 2002 - his rookie season - and at Pinehurst in the 2005 US Open.
He was by no means the only one to suffer in windy conditions - Darren Clarke shot 80, Thomas Levet and Stuart Manley 81, Paul Broadhurst and Jason Knutzon 84.
Noren looked as if he might tumble off the leaderboard as well when he three-putted the fourth and sixth and then took six at the long ninth after a wild drive led to a penalty drop.
But the 28-year-old, winner of the European Masters in Switzerland two years ago, came back with three birdies in four holes from the 11th.
That enabled him to grab the lead back from Hansen, who from two over after three holes went crazy with six birdies and then a near-albatross at the downwind 575-yard last.
Needing only a seven-iron for his second shot he could not believe that it finished three inches behind the hole.
"I've never had albatross, but I'm happy with eagle," he said.
Hanson, who made his Ryder Cup debut at the course last year, started with two bogeys, but played the last 16 in five under to boost his chances of a fifth Tour win.
Frenchman Gregory Havret pulled out of the event following the death of his father.
Scores of the third round at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor here on Saturday (GBR & IRL unless stated, par 71):
205 - Alexander Noren (SWE) 67 67 71
206 - Peter Hanson (SWE) 65 72 69, Anders Hansen (DEN) 70 70 66
207 - Jamie Donaldson 68 68 71
208 - Steve Webster 66 72 70, Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 67 69 72
209 - Johan Edfors (SWE) 68 71 70
210 - Magnus A Carlsson (SWE) 71 70 69, Phillip Price 70 72 68, Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 67 73 70
211 - Ricardo Gonzalez (ARG) 71 67 73, Christian Cevaer (FRA) 69 72 70, Romain Wattel (FRA) 68 73 70, Richard Finch 69 75 67, Richard McEvoy 69 70 72, Graeme Storm 68 72 71, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 70 70 71, Oscar Floren (SWE) 69 73 69
212 - Joel Sjoholm (SWE) 72 69 71, Greig Hutcheon 72 72 68, Elliot Saltman 73 70 69
213 - Damien McGrane 67 73 73, Mark Tullo (CHI) 69 71 73, Peter Whiteford 70 70 73, Keith Horne (RSA) 64 73 76
214 - Felipe Aguilar (CHI) 68 73 73, Robert Coles 70 71 73, Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 69 71 74, Wade Ormsby (AUS) 70 74 70, Barry Lane 68 69 77
215 - Richard Bland 69 75 71, Danny Lee (NZL) 70 71 74
216 - Graeme McDowell 67 68 81, Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 71 72 73, Michael Jonzon (SWE) 70 74 72, Simon Dyson 72 70 74, Rafael Cabrera Bello (ESP) 72 72 72
217 - Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (FRA) 73 69 75, Marcel Siem (GER) 69 73 75, Rhys Davies 72 71 74, Mark Brown (NZL) 70 74 73, David Drysdale 71 71 75, David Dixon 73 70 74, Michael Hoey 71 71 75, Peter O'Malley (AUS) 71 70 76
218 - Anthony Kang (USA) 69 73 76, Daniel Gaunt (AUS) 68 75 75, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 72 69 77, Mark Foster 69 74 75, Simon Khan 68 75 75, Jose Manuel Lara (ESP) 71 73 74
219 - Hennie Otto (RSA) 72 72 75, Scott Strange (AUS) 69 75 75, Stuart Manley 67 71 81, Rafael Echenique (ARG) 70 73 76, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 72 71 76
221 - Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 72 71 78, Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 69 74 78, Kenneth Ferrie 72 72 77
222 - Darren Clarke 68 74 80, Paul Broadhurst 66 72 84
223 - Andrew Dodt (AUS) 70 74 79, Jason Knutzon (USA) 74 65 84
225 - Thomas Levet (FRA) 72 72 81
WD: 144 - Gregory Havret (FRA) 70 74