PARIS -- Rafa Echenique of Argentina held onto his lead at the Alstom French Open on Saturday, shooting a 1-under 70 for a one-stroke advantage over Martin Kaymer of Germany after the third round.

The Argentine was at 11-under 202 after starting the day with a two-stroke lead on Kaymer.

"Just a little nervous today," said Echenique, who is seeking his first victory on the European Tour. "On No. 1, I missed a putt from one or two feet. I was not relaxed on the first three holes. But after that, I made long putts on the No. 4 and the No. 5."

Paul Waring of England had a 68 to climb from seventh to third, two strokes off the lead and one better than compatriot Seve Benson, who also shot a 68. Benson had a share of fourth with Richard Green of Australia (70) and Peter Hanson of Sweden (70).

England's Lee Westwood (70) and Ian Poulter (66), four and five strokes back respectively, also remained in contention.

"I didn't miss a fairway, I didn't miss a green so it was pretty flawless," said Poulter, a runner-up at the British Open last year. "Apart from the second shot into the last (hole), which I thought was pathetic, I was already thinking about my lunch. ... It was pretty clinical."

Echenique was briefly caught by the chasing pack after the turn when he fell into a tie for the lead with Waring and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa at 10 under.

A runner-up at the BMW International Open in Munich last weekend, Echenique started his third round slowly with a bogey on the first hole.

Waring, ranked No. 130 on the European Tour, hit an approach from the rough that landed a few feet from the pin on No. 6 and helped him tie Echenique atop the leaderboard at 9 under. But Echenique regained a two-stroke lead by sinking two straight birdies, including a 20-foot putt on the fourth.

Another bogey from Echenique on the eighth again cut his lead, allowing Schwartzel to pull even at 10 under with two consecutive birdies.

Waring picked up a shot on the 13th to join them, but he slipped back to third with a bogey on 14th, the longest hole on the Golf National course.

Schwartzel's run was marred by three bogeys in four holes, dropping the South African to a share of seventh and leaving Echenique in charge.

Kaymer dropped a shot on his first hole, but played solidly the rest of the way. The European Tour's 2007 rookie of the year sank two straight birdies -- after an approach on the sixth that stopped one foot from the cup and a 13-foot putt on No. 7.

"There were a lot of very difficult pins today," Kaymer said. "... I played very safe. It was pretty much my strategy for today and it's going to be the same for tomorrow."

After their rounds, Poulter and Montgomerie gave a memory of British Open host venue Turnberry that shows how far they have both come in their careers.

The last time the Open was played on the Ayrshire links was 1994, and Poulter remembers that that was the year he left the amateur ranks with a four handicap and worked as an assistant at the Jack O'Legs club in Hitchin.

"The Open would have been on TV and I would have been dusting and polishing the pro shop thinking, 'Get me out of here -- surely this tin of Pledge is going to run out sooner or later'," Poulter said.

Montgomerie first went to Turnberry to apply for a job with International Management Group, but while there went on the course, shot a back-nine 29 and decided to turn pro instead.

"If I'd shot 39, who knows?" said the man who went on to win eight Order of Merits and is now, of course, Ryder Cup captain.

He thought he had missed the cut this week after taking a triple-bogey 7 at the end of his second round, but his 65 was enough for him to urge people not to dismiss his chances of figuring prominently in what could be his last Open.

"God no -- I was eighth there in 1994 and the Open gives me my best opportunity if it's fast-running," he said Saturday, after a display that included a 97-yard pitch into the sixth hole for an eagle-2.

There were also four birdies and best of those was a 204-yard 4-iron to within a few inches of the flag on the difficult 17th.

"That's what I used to do. I've been making far too many mistakes -- there were a load of crazy ones yesterday -- and it starts with hitting fairways," he explained. "If I do that I can play to my strength, my iron play. This was a very important round for me going forward and I've just got to keep at it hoping it will come back one day.

"That 7 killed things off here," he added. "I've now got to move up as high as I can -- I don't need the money, but I need the points."

Montgomerie's world ranking has fallen to 211th and he is down at 94th on the European money list. He has not been that low since he turned professional in 1987.

Echenique mixed two birdies with two bogeys on the front nine, started the inward half with eight successive pars and then produced a glorious iron to seven feet on the 470-yard 18th.

Kaymer's only bogey came on the first and he then grabbed birdies at the sixth, seventh and 17th to strengthen his bid for a third Tour triumph.

Waring and Benson are battling not just for the title, but also the one Open spot up for grabs this week.

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