Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

John Bloomfield in full flight at the Jamaica Open golf tournament yesterday at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club.- Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

JOHN BLOOMFIELD holds a two-stroke lead going into today's final round of the Jamaica Open golf championship at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club after firing a two-over 74 yesterday for a gross score of 144.

Hot on the United States-based Jamaican's heels are three professionals, Ernest Bernard, Ralph 'Jimmy' Campbell and Peter Horrobin, and two young amateurs, Fabian Campbell and Paul Thompson who are tied for second at two-over 146.

Bloomfield followed up his first-round two-under 70 with a solid but less than stellar tour of the St. Catherine course yesterday but none of his main rivals were able to make an impression against him and a steady round today should see the former Hoerman Cup star clinch the island's first Open crown since 1996 - when the event went into a hiatus.

Horrobin and Jimmy Campbell - former World Cup teammates, may have something to say about the outcome but it is Bloomfield's tournament to lose as the 16-man field has been cut to nine for today's final round.

Christopher Richards (73-75), former Constant Spring professional Livingston Williams (72-76) and Garnet Wright (73-75), also made the cut for the US$8,000 first-prize purse - four strokes behind leader Bloomfield.

Meanwhile, U.S.-based professional Jack Allen collapsed with heat stroke and was taken to hospital, while amateur Gregory Mayne struck a hole-in-one at the par-three 17th.

In the sparse women's field, local star Maggie Lyn was running well away from her two Curaçao challengers.