Stunning start for Manassero in Killarney

Italian teenager Matteo Manassero produced three birdies in the first six holes of his third round at the 3 Irish Open in Killarney this morning to fire himself up the leaderboard.

Manassero, 17, began the day on par having recorded rounds of one-over and one-under respectively in the opening two rounds on the par-71 course.

However, birdies on the second, fourth and six holes represented a superb start to the weekend for the Verona youngster.

Englishman Anthony Wall began with a birdie and a bogey but picked up shots on the fourth and seventh to move two under.

Manassero's hot streak continued as he moved five under with successive birdies on the eighth and ninth. That saw him reach the turn in 30, fuelling hopes of achieving what Fisher failed to do yesterday and scoring a 59 for the first time on the European Tour.

Ross Fisher, out at 1.15pm today, leads by three shots after his excellent 61 yesterday, with Italian Francesco Molinari second and two shots clear of a group containing Rory McIlroy.