South Africa’s Retief Goosen takes a two-shot lead into the final round of the Volvo Masters after a third round 70, two under par, at Montecastillo, Jerez.
Goosen, currently fourth in the Volvo Order of Merit and the leader since an opening round of 62, picked up three birdies but bogeyed the 17th to finish on 16 under par, two clear of New Zealand’s Michael Campbell.
Goosen said: "I led from the from start to finish at the Novotel Perrier Open de France so I know I can win from the front. My putting let me down a bit today but tomorrow I'll just concentrate on my own game."
Campbell birdied four of the last seven holes to close the gap on Goosen. His round of 67, five under, included eight birdies in total. A further shot adrift is Argentina’s Jose Coceres after a round of 68, but the fireworks once again came from Sergio Garcia.
The teenager picked up four birdies and an eagle in a front nine of 30 but was unable to close the gap further in a homeward nine of 37. Garcia, with two wins already in his six-month-old professional career, was seven behind at the start of the day, but closed that to just two by following four birdies with a 25-foot eagle putt on the 517-yard ninth.
Garcia can still cap all he has done this season by ending Colin Montgomerie's six-year reign as European number one, but for that to happen he will have to win next week's American Express World Championship at Valderrama.
Montgomerie remains firmly in the driving seat, despite losing ground today. Joint third overnight, the world number three improved only one stroke in a round of 71 and at 10 under was six adrift of Goosen.
Ryder Cup Irishman Padraig Harrington was Goosen's closest challenger at halfway and he twice drew level on the front nine today. But then came a double bogey six on the 410-yard 10th - his drive into a lake was the fourth time the Dubliner had visited water this week - and he followed that with a bogey on the next and another at the 13th before finishing on 12 under.
