Alfred Dunhill Championship: Rose makes blistering start

England's Justin Rose made a blistering start to his third round to claim a share of the lead in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Rose birdied his first three holes of the day at Houghton Golf Club to storm into the outright lead before being joined by fellow rising star Adam Scott.

The 20-year-old pair both picked up four shots in the early stages to move to 15 under par, two ahead of the rest of the field.

Rose began in sensational style, holing from eight, 15 and 20 feet for a hat-trick of birdies from the first hole and, after narrowly missing for eagle on the fifth, tapped in for his fourth birdie of the day.

At that stage the Hampshire golfer, who finished fourth in the Open at Royal Birkdale in 1998 while just 17 and still an amateur, had the lead on his own.

But he was soon joined by Australian Scott who birdied the third and then eagled the fifth and picked up another shot on the eighth to be out in 32.

Overnight leader Dean Robertson, who had led from the first day after setting a new course record with a 62, was two shots back on 13 under, after two birdies and one bogey, alongside Nick Faldo and defending champion Anthony Wall.

Faldo, chasing a first European Tour victory since 1994, rolled in a 30-foot birdie on the fourth and also birdied the eighth to keep in touch while playing partner Wall had three birdies and one dropped shot.