SOUTHPORT, July 18: Italian Costantino Rocca and Katsuyoshi Tomori of Japan defied a brute of a Royal Birkdale wind to seize the early third round lead in the British Open with remarkable level-par 70s today.As scores sky-rocketed in a fiendish gale that gusted up to 40 miles an hour, defending champion Justin Leonard showed just what a challenge the players faced as he soared to a 12-over-par 82. Left-hander Phil Mickelson was even worse, carding an 85 capped by a triple bogey seven at the last.But Rocca, who lost a playoff to John Daly for the 1995 title at St Andrews, and Europe-based Tomori both managed somehow to match par for a share the lead with six-over-par totals of 216 that might not look at all bad by the end of the day.They led by three shots from 1989 champion Mark Calcavecchia, fellow American Mark Brooks and Englishman Mark James.Rocca and Tomori were early starters as they had barely survived the halfway cut and the leaders, pacesetter Brian Watts of the United States, Englishamateur Justin Rose and the menacing duo of Tiger Woods and Nick Price, had not begun.There were many scores in the 80s and other big names also suffered in the wind. Britain's Ian Woosnam shot 76 and felt the tees should have been moved forward, three-times champion Nick Faldo had 75 while Ernie Els, twice the US Open champion, shot 74 which he considered about par for the day.Rocca's metronomic swing was a model of consistency for a card containing two birdies and two bogeys against 14 pars.
