A BRILLIANT closing birdie – the only one all day on the 471-yard 18th – late last night took England's Ross Fisher into a three-stroke lead with a round to go in the European Open.
After battling all day with both Graeme McDowell and 25mph gusts of wind at the London Club, the 27-year-old from Wentworth took full advantage of the Northern Irishman driving into the lake on the last. The hole had wreaked havoc, with Colin Montgom
erie, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose among its victims, but Fisher hit a superb drive and then an approach to eight feet. The putt gave him a 69 to add to his course-record 63 and 68 for a 54-hole total of 200.
Earlier in the week, Fisher thought about not playing, so tired was he after successfully coming through 36 holes of Open qualifying on Monday.
He is certainly glad now he carried on and he has a golden opportunity for his second Tour win eight months after blowing the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai with a closing double bogey seven – and 14 months after finishing the BMW PGA Championship on his home course with an 84 when he was the joint leader overnight.
McDowell's bogey meant he signed for a 71 and it still looks as if it might be between the two for the £400,000 first prize.
South African David Frost, at 48 trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history, is in third place on 10 under following a 69.
Joint fourth on eight under are Ireland's Paul McGinley, Dane Soren Hansen and Swede Michael Jonzon. Sergio Garcia came home in 39 to be in a tie for seventh. That included a double-bogey six on the 13th when he was put off by a photographer on the tee and shanked into knee-high rough. Defending champion Montgomerie came to the last three holes nine under, but bogeyed them all to slide to joint 10th, nine strokes back.
After a drive into deep rough on the 16th, the Scot, runner-up in France last Sunday and so keen to build on that to improve his Ryder Cup chances, failed to get up and down from over the green on the short 17th and then pulled his drive into the lake on the last. "I'm not the story – I think you'll find I'm not the story," he said afterwards, having first of all thrown his ball into a dustbin.
A big finish could still make it another good week in his comeback, but Ian Poulter is back in the pack on two under after a 77. The damage was done in a front-nine 41 that began with him suddenly remembering he had not bandaged the wrist he has been been protecting since pulling out of the US Open three weeks ago. A physio came out on the course, but he called it "a schoolboy error", adding: "I completely forgot."
Open champion Harrington, having made the cut with only a shot to spare, improved from 33rd to 14th with a 69.
Rose is left with only a confidence-building exercise in the last round after slumping to joint 60th of the 70 players with a 77, capped by a triple-bogey seven on the last.
The full article contains 562 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
