The final day of the Mercedes-Benz Championship will take on the role as the unofficial Golf Championship of Denmark as Thomas Björn and Søren Hansen emerged as joint leaders after the third round at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof.
The good friends and fellow countrymen both ended an enthralling Saturday on 12 under par 204 after Björn posted a superb 66 while Hansen endured a rollercoaster 71. The duo lead the way by one shot from Scotland’s Alastair Forysth, who produced the round of the day with a ten under par 62, while English duo Simon Khan and Lee Westwood and Australia’s Richard Green finished the day in a share of fourth place on ten under par 206.
Björn, who posted three birdies on the front nine and a further three on the inward half, admitted he was surprised with his own form after playing just once in the last seven weeks – in the US PGA Championship.
"I've never had a summer holiday since I was 14 and now with three kids I really wanted to spend some time with them," explained the 36 year old. "I was working very hard but things were going nowhere and it was nice to take some time out when the kids were out of school.
"I'm at a crossroads in my career. I've made a conscious decision about how I want to swing the club and play the game but I have no goals whatsoever. I just want to play some golf and enjoy myself and this is a huge step forward. I haven't had many rounds in the 60s and you're not going to compete in tournaments if you don't shoot low."
Hansen led by as many as three shots during the third round but bogeyed the last three holes, and was indeed fortunate to escape with a five at the last after driving into water and almost hitting his third into it as well.
"Søren is a huge talent," Bjorn added. "He has sorted his putting out this summer, which was always the weak part of his game. I've always pushed him harder and harder to make him realise how big a talent he is. All he needs to do is win another tournament. I hope tomorrow it's me winning, but if it’s not me, then I hope it’s him."
For his part, Hansen was philosophical about the ending to his round. “I lost a little bit of touch over the last few holes, and it cut me to the bone. I didn’t feel really comfortable, and I pulled a few shots, but I managed to hit a great chip on the last.
“I thought I had holed it but I will take a five after nearly being in the water twice. I pulled my drive on 17 and 18, and then had a horrid lie after the drop. I maybe shouldn’t have gone for the green, but I did. It gave the crowds a bit of excitement!
“But at the end of the day it was another good day’s work. Until the final three holes I was playing really well again. I was hoping to have a few shots clear, but I’m still playing well and there’s no reason why I cannot do the same tomorrow and try to win. It’s a challenge I am looking forward to.
“I’ll be playing with Thomas again, which will be fun. The last time we played together, it was in the World Cup and we didn’t have much success there, but I’m sure one of us will be on top tomorrow. Thomas has not been playing to his potential this year, but a Thomas Bjorn in form is a very dangerous man, so I will have to play well to beat him.”
Third placed Forsyth, who admitted he was glad there was no cut after his opening 76, continued the fine sporting week for Scotland whose football team beat France 1-0 in midweek, with a sensational third round 62 and to leave him poised only one shot off the lead going into the final round.
Forsyth, who posted 11 threes on his card in total, was 15 shots adrift on Thursday evening but then parted company with his caddie, shot 67 in the second round and then equalled the lowest round of his career with the brilliant 62.
On his parting from regular bagman Martin Gray, Forsyth admitted: "It had been coming, these things run their course. We spoke about it on Thursday night and thought we would call it a day on Sunday but I preferred to make a clean break of it and got a new caddie for Friday."
Ten shots off the pace overnight, Forsyth stormed to the turn in 31 and, after his sole bogey of the day on the tenth, he carded four more birdies and an eagle for a matching inward half of 31.
"I was just happy there wasn't a cut after the opening day and then I played better yesterday and today was great," added Forsyth, winner of the Carlsberg Malaysian Open in 2002 but without a single top three finish in the last two seasons.
"It was one of those days where I gave myself lots of chances and took pretty much of all them."
Those chances included an eagle from 35ft on the 13th and a par save from 15ft on the 16th after duffing a chip, and Forsyth admitted he had enjoyed the odd lucky break.
"On the 14th I hit my second shot well right but it took a couple of lucky bounces down to three feet for a birdie," added the Scot, like Open Champion Padraig Harrington a pupil of veteran coach Bob Torrance. "But apart from that I did keep hitting it close and putted a lot better - my putting has been pretty poor this year."
Tournament host Bernhard Langer is not without a chance of, at 50, becoming the oldest winner in the history of The European Tour, when he finished on nine under par 207, only three shots off the lead.
“Any time you win is special but to win your own tournament and to do that at age 50 that would be something extremely special,” he said. “But I am far away from that at the moment, I need to do something close to a course record tomorrow to have a chance but I will try as hard as I can.”
