General / Editor / 01 July 2007 /

Sore Hansen leads the French Open by one shot from England's Simon Khan after a third-round five-under 66 to reach seven under.

Overnight leader Khan, who hails from Essex, kept alive his hopes of a title win at Le Golf National near Paris with a 70, while Scot Colin Montgomerie and Germany's Martin Kaymer are both three shots off the lead on four under following respective rounds of 71 and 69.

Dane Thomas Bjorn, England's David Lynn and Jeev Milka Singh of India are all still in contention going into Sunday's final 18 holes at three under. English duo Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood edged to one under after respective scores of 68 and 69.

However, 33-year-old Hansen - the 3.2 favourite on Betfair's outright winner market - is hoping history repeats itself and he will walk away with only his second title following on from the 2002 Irish Open. That success came just a few weeks after fellow compatriot Anders Hansen, who won his second PGA Championship at Wentworth last month, claimed his first five years ago.

He said: "It's a bit spooky. If you believe in superstition then we'll see."

However, 35-year-old Khan (4.8), who is looking to add to his solitary success in the 2004 Wales Open and has two top-10 finishes this season, is looking to scupper Hansen's hopes.

"Soren's 66 was a great score today. We've both had an in and out season but he's a quality player and hopefully we can have a good game and fight it out," he said.

Both players will also be aware that Montgomerie (5.6) is determined to put a poor season behind him by claiming a first win since December 2005.

He said: "One birdie all day and that was from one inch at the fifth. None of the putts went in.

"I played as well today as I have in the last two days, if not better. I know exactly where the ball is going, but just can't seem to hole a putt.

"Tomorrow is a big day for me to get out there and prove to myself that I haven't forgotten how to win."

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