Quartet In The Hunt At Whittlebury - 21/06/2007

FOUR players will share the lead going into the final round of The Peugeot International Open at Whittlebury Park on Friday.

In one of the most evenly contested PGA EuroPro Tour events of 2006, Warren Bennett, Mark Smith, Kevin Harper and Michael Searle all sit a shot clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Harper, who won last week's Prime Time Recruitment Championship at Marriott Hollins Hall, put himself on course for back-to-back victories with a fine 66 - the best of the day.

His round included six birdies - four at the same hole for the second successive round - and he dropped just one shot, at the 17th for the second day running.

Seale shot five birdies on the back nine in his round of 67, while Smith hit six birdies but dropped three shots in his 68.

Bennett, the overnight leader in the PGA EuroPro TOur event after an opening round of 64, shot four birdies in a two-under-par 69.

A second successive round of 67 from Scotsman Euan Little put him a shot behind the leaders, with Paul Doherty, Neil Walker, David James and David Addison all a shot back at -7.

Daniel Gaunt, who sits second on the PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit, is one of three players three shots off the pace at -6.

Jonathan Evans, who landed a hole-in-one on Wednesday, is joined by Hamish Robertson at five-under-par.

A 67 from Ireland's Michael Curtis was not enough to get him a place in the final round, as he finished on level par for the event.

A total of 51 players made the cut at -1, including last year's treble PGA EuroPro Tour winner Simon Robinson and 2005 British Amateur Champion Brian McElhinney.

Lewis Genny matched Evans' feat of a hole-in-one at the third during his round on Thursday, ensuring him a place in the end-of-season Peugeot Hole-In-One Shoot-Out - although he missed the cut at Whittlebury Park.