Paul Casey showed a return to form in shooting a 6-under 66 Saturday to share the lead with Bradley Dredge after the third round of the Qatar Masters. The 32-year-old Casey arrived in Doha still feeling the effects of a lingering rib muscle injury and having missed the cut in each of his three previous appearances at the tournament. But he made seven birdies along with a single bogey to sit tied with Dredge (70) with a 10-under total of 206. “I am still only 95 percent fit with the rib and had no reason to be confident arriving here given my previous record on this course,” Casey said. “But I am playing well now on a tough course where you cannot afford to make mistakes and looking forward to the challenge of trying to win.” Dredge is looking for his first title since the 2006 European Masters, and is hoping to make an early case for inclusion on the European Ryder Cup team. Brett Rumford, who held the overnight lead, only managed a 73 to sit three shots back. He started the day by holing a six-foot putt for birdie, but then dropped two shots on his next five holes and kept struggling on the greens. Robert Karlsson of Sweden is also in a tie for fourth, while England's Oliver Wilson (72) and Spain's Alvaro Quiros (68) are another shot back. Points, Imada set pace Little-known American DA Points took advantage of another calm, sunny day at Torrey Pines to charge into a tie for the lead in Friday's second round of the San Diego Open. Despite playing on the more difficult and longer South Course, Points recorded five birdies and an eagle three at the sixth on the way to a flawless, seven-under-par 65. The 33-year-old covered his homeward nine in five under for an 11-under total of 133 to finish level with Japan's Ryuji Imada, who carded a 68 on the South layout. Australian Michael Sim eagled the par-five 18th on the easier North Course for a best-of-the-week 62 to lie two strokes off the pace with PGA Tour rookie Matt Every (70). Tournament favorite and three-time champion Phil Mickelson fired a 67 on the North layout to share 10th place at seven under, two shots better than South African Ernie Els, after a 69 on the North. The cut fell at two-under 142 with 2004 champion John Daly, US Ryder Cup player Chad Campbell and Australians Jason Day and Stuart Appleby among those missing out. Emotions ran high at the San Diego Open Friday when Mickelson was accused of cheating by fellow American Scott McCarron and double major winner John Daly said he was quitting the game. World No. 2 Mickelson was criticized by McCarron for exploiting a loophole in golf's new groove rules by using a 20-year-old Ping wedge and fan-favorite Daly told the Golf Channel he was finished after missing the second-round cut. McCarron, who also missed the cut at Torrey Pines Friday, said Mickelson was “taking an unfair advantage of the rules”. In an interview with the Golf Channel, he added: “Golf is a gentleman's game and most of us out here on the PGA Tour don't think it's the right thing to do.” McCarron took exception to the Ping-Eye 2 wedge used by Mickelson, a club with square grooves which is legal because of a lawsuit won by its manufacturer over the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1990. Mickelson agreed with McCarron's overall stance but took exception at how his compatriot had made his point.
