Spain’s Sergio Garcia held a two stroke lead over defending champion Phil Mickelson, England’s Oliver Wilson and former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy at the halfway point of the third round at the rain-affected HSBC Champions on Sunday.
Joint overnight leader Garcia will overtake Mickelson as world number two with victory and moved on from his overnight ten under par after reaching the turn at a bright Sheshan International Golf Club two under par.
Mickelson picked three shots over his opening eight to leap up the leaderboard, but shipped a bogey at the ninth to also reach the turn two under.
Ryder Cup debutant Wilson, playing at the Champions event even though he has yet to claim his maiden European Tour title, played a steady front nine and picked up a shot over his opening ten holes.
Ogilvy reached the turn one over par, but stormed down the back nine with a run of two straight birdies to move on to one under through 14.
Henrik Stenson, who held the overnight lead alongside Garcia, slipped back into third at eight under par after dropping two shots over the final three holes of his back nine.
Mickelson, playing a group ahead of Garcia and Stenson, aggressively drove the tight par four seventh and the move paid off as he made a simple up and down for birdie to briefly join Spaniard at the top of the leaderboard on 11 under.
At the same short par four, Stenson opted for caution off the tee, but plugged his lob wedge approach into the face of the bunker protecting the front of the green and two-putted to slip back to nine under before dropping another stroke at the ninth.
Mickelson’s aggressive style, which he has adopted all week in Shanghai, did catch up with him at the ninth as the American three-time major winner carded the second bogey of the third round to fall off the top of the leaderboard.
Minutes later Garcia capitalised and picked up a second birdie at the same hole to extend his lead.
Ogilvy, who began his third round on Saturday evening before bad light ended play, made his move after picking up two birdies in his first three holes of the back nine, which included a chip-in two at the par three 12th after he tee shot strayed to the left of the green.
After Friday’s play was washed out, the majority of the field will complete their fourth rounds, which will begin this afternoon, on Monday morning.
