England’s Simon Wakefield chipped in at the last hole to grab a share of the third round lead alongside Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed in Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
A closing birdie in strong afternoon winds over the PGA Centenary Course gave Wakefield a level par 73 for a nine under tally of 210, the same mark as Andersson-Hed who compiled a blemish free 66 and was facing the media three hours before Wakefield’s final hole flourish.
The pair were a stroke in front of 2006 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, Marc Warren, who recovered from back to back doubles bogeys early on to shoot a third round 73 for 211.
Warren, Alastair Forsyth and Stephen Gallacher all finished inside the top ten with Championship Chairman Colin Montgomerie in a tie for 12th to encourage local hopes of a home victory.
Wakefield said on Friday that when he shared the second-round lead with Frenchman Thomas Levet, that he could never perform well on Saturdays. Most people have that problem with Mondays, but not Wakefield, who has found it hard to press on during the traditional ‘moving day’.
But in winds gusting up to 25-mph, the 33 year old Englishman battled to end his jinx. "The wind was unbelievable at times," Wakefield remarked afterwards. "When I made a double-bogey on the third I thought 'it’s Saturday - here we go again!’
"If ever there was going to be a Saturday where I could have finished five or six over this was it but this time I overcame it. Hopefully when I look back I can think about how I performed on this Saturday. Both Thomas (Levet) and myself were abysmal on the front nine but I think we redeemed ourselves coming home. The chip at the end was brilliant."
Andersson-Hed was rewarded for taking a chance with a back problem just before the event as he ran up seven birdies.
"I was just exercising at home when I felt some really bad twinges," said the Swede. "I considered pulling out of the tournament but because I had booked the flight, decided to come.
"The back was so painful I didn't hit a shot on Wednesday, just had a few putts. But the Tour physios did a great job and I was fit to play on Thursday."
A strong three weeks in European spring-time when he finished second, third and sixth ensured he would not lose his card this time round after a year on the Challenge Tour.
Warren birdied the first to move into a share of the lead with Andersson Hed as the Swede sat back and enjoyed his lunch, but he knocked his second shot into the water at the second, went out of bounds at the fourth and followed that double bogey with another at the fifth. Suddenly, he was back to four under.
“Maybe two years ago I would have struggled to hang in there but I did that and tried not to let me head drop. Driving home tonight I think I will be proud of how I managed to come back when it looked as if I had played my way out of the tournament.”
Former European Tour Number One Lee Westwood shared fourth place, two off the lead, with Forsyth and England’s Phillip Archer on seven under par. Westwood, a winner earlier in the season, would be dangerous if he holed a putt.
“It’s just as well that there are five par fives on this course, because my birdies are being made by knocking it on in two and two putting” laughed the English Ryder Cup player, who still has designs on a second Order of Merit crown this season.
A double-bogey on the 16th left joint halfway leader Levet a further stroke back on 213 with four other players.
