Kjeldsen takes six stroke lead

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen burst into a massive six-stroke lead with a spectacular front nine 31 in the Diageo Championship at Gleneagles today.

Only one ahead at the halfway stage of the event the 28-year-old started with three successive birdies and then picked up further shots at the seventh and eighth as he strengthened his bid for a first European tour victory.

Australian Brad Kennedy was his nearest challenger at three under, while both Colin Montgomerie and defending champion Adam Scott had moved into an eight-strong group sharing third place on two under.

Former Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst, second overnight, was completely out-played by Kjeldsen going out.

A bad drive cost him a bogey at the first and he dropped another stroke on the short sixth before getting up and down from just short of the green at the long ninth for a birdie.

Montgomerie turned in 34 and then birdied the 11th as conditions finally calmed down following two days of near gale-force winds.

There had been a 17, a 12, an 11, a 10, three nines and 13 sevens during yesterday’s play alone, but by mid-afternoon the worst that had happened to anybody in the third round was the closing quadruple bogey nine of former British Open champion Paul Lawrie.

He lost a ball off the tee there, but also was not helped by the fact that he had broken his putter coming off the 13th green and had to use another club for the last five holes.

Sandy Lyle, who had called a ball-spotter “dumb-witted” when he lost a ball at the 18th last night, needed the assistance of three officials to find his wayward opening drive, but although he saved par there he bogeyed the next and double-bogeyed the third – the hole he took seven on in his first round.

With five to play Lyle, without a win for 11 years, was down to two over, one below 49-year-old Sam Torrance.