MELBOURNE, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Nick Faldo of England shot a 7-under-par 65 in the third round of the Heineken Classic on Saturday and climbed into contention for his first title in almost six years.
A six-time Major champion whose last victory came at the Nissan Open in 1997, Faldo leads the field at 11-under-par entering the final round at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.
Faldo started Saturday eight shots off the pace, having dropped three shots in his last four holes in the second round. But the 45-year-old hit the driving range straight after that Friday's disappointing 71 and it paid dividends.
Faldo overtook second-round leader Paul Casey, who dropped into a tie for second place with Sweden's Niclas Fasth and Australian Peter Lonard at 10-under-par.
English players still dominate the top of the leaderboard, with David Lynn and Steve Webster at 9-under, while Brian Davis and Ian Poulter sit in the pack on 7-under, one shot behind a Ernie Els of South Africa.
Els had struggled with his rhythm over the opening rounds, but he got in gear on Saturday and shot a 66 to finish tied with New Zealand's David Smail at 8-under. The world No. 2 came into the tournament after two wins and a second-place finish, but had to battle to reach the turn at 2-under, 10 shots off the lead.
Els felt he might have overstretched himself in playing four consecutive events, but those fears seemed unjustified after the South African carded seven birdies. His only blip was a dropped a shot on the 18th, which left him with an 8-under-par total of 208.
The last British winner at Royal Melbourne was Sam Torrance in 1980, but Faldo got his bid on track on the par-4 first hole. His approach shot rolled to within four feet and he sunk the short putt for an opening birdie. He followed that up with birdies on the second and third before completing the front nine with a 40-foot putt to record an eagle.
Faldo already has turned his thoughts to Sunday's final round. "If I pursued the next 18 holes with the same good thought and good decision-making, that would do me for the rest of my career," he said.
Casey finished with a 2-over-par 74, but was relieved to have escaped from a shaky round only one shot behind.
