Mulroy leads three Spaniards after third round of BMW Italian Open

TURIN, Italy -- Garth Mulroy of South Africa held a one-shot lead after the third round of the BMW Italian Open, while Ryder Cup players Nicolas Colsaerts and Martin Kaymer plus home favorite Matteo Manassero were four strokes back on Saturday.

Mulroy shot a 6-under 66 to get to 17 under on the Royal Park I Roveri course outside Turin. Last November, Mulroy won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on home soil for his first European Tour victory, but he's still seeking his first win in Europe.

"I said on the first day the course reminds me a lot of a South African course," said Mulroy, who almost holed his approach to the 13th. "The trees, the shape, and the ball goes a little further, too. ... I haven't played so well this year. It would be a big thing to win on mainland Europe, especially with the purse here and the two-year exemption. I don't win very often so I would take any win."

A trio of Spaniards was right behind Mulroy, with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) at 16 under and Rafa Cabrera-Bello (65) and Pablo Larrazabal (66) each one shot further back.

Colsaerts (65) and Kaymer (67) remain in contention at 13 under, along with 19-year-old Manassero (65), overnight leader Richard Bland (71), Welshman Phillip Price (66) and France's Gregory Bourdy (70).

Colsaerts, the European Tour's longest hitter, was a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, which will be held in two weeks at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

The third Ryder Cup player in the field, Italy's Francesco Molinari, fell back to 3 under with an error-filled 76.

Europe Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal also shot a 76 and fell back to par.