McGinley throws down gauntlet to Goosen

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley got the helping hand he was looking for from Retief Goosen on Saturday to give himself a chance of victory in the Lancome Trophy.

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley got the helping hand he was looking for from Retief Goosen on Saturday to give himself a chance of victory in the Lancôme Trophy.

Goosen missed from just four feet to bogey the 18th and see his lead reduced to three shots over McGinley, with Belgian youngster Nicolas Colsaerts a shot further back.

England’s Ian Poulter was another shot adrift after a best-of-the-day 65, but Colin Montgomerie again cut a dejected figure following a 70 which left him 14 shots off the lead.

McGinley carded a 66 which contained six birdies and just one bogey, and expected to find himself at least four off the lead before the unexpected error from the European number one.

“He is a really good front-runner and a tough man to beat,” said McGinley, speaking before Goosen missed the green on the closing hole and then missed from close range as well after a good chip.

“If he is four or five ahead we’re going to need a helping hand from him as well if we want to win. He is on fire, I saw one shot he played from the trees on the 15th that could have gone anywhere but ended up stiff judging from the size of the cheer.

“It’s his week and a lot of things are going for him. He’s won a lot of big tournaments but we’ll see what happens on Sunday.”

One player who certainly has not given up hope is the colourful Poulter, who has already won twice this season and has not forgotten what happened to Goosen here two years ago.

The South African led by four shots with four to play but did not even make a play-off, dropping two shots while Sergio Garcia made three birdies to steal victory.

“It should be enough of a lead but you saw what happened two years ago,” said Poulter, who chipped in on the 16th for an eagle and also carded five birdies.

“Golf throws up funny stories now and again where things can happen.”

Poulter missed last week’s Omega European Masters with tonsilitis and has booked a date to finally have his tonsils removed, although he will have to postpone it if he makes England’s World Cup team.

“I was really ill last week and could barely get out of bed for two days,” added Poulter, who won in Wales earlier this season despite suffering from the same ailment.

“I’ve booked November 11 to have them out, which is two days before the World Cup, but I’ll postpone it for a week if I make it. At the moment the team is Paul Casey and Justin Rose (taken from the world rankings) and I think I’ll have to finish first and second in the next two events to make it.”

Goosen, the 2001 US Open champion, had to settle for a 68 after previous scores of 63 and 65, and said: “That wasn’t the round I was looking for but hopefully it’s my bad one out of the way and I can finish it off tomorrow.

“I drove the ball pretty poorly and my swing was not feeling up to standard. It’s always tough leading with people chasing but I’m still there and need to get off to a good start on Sunday.

“A lot can happen over the last few holes, especially when they are playing into the wind and playing long.”

Meanwhile Montgomerie admitted he is running out of time to maintain two proud records after another mediocre round.

Montgomerie has finished in the top 10 on the Order of Merit every year since 1991, winning it seven times, and has won at least once every year since 1993.

He left it as late as possible last year to win a tournament, and even then only shared first place in the final event of the season with Bernhard Langer when their play-off for the Volvo Masters was suspended because of darkness.

The 40-year-old will certainly not be winning the 34th and final Lancôme Trophy on Sunday, and after this weekend there are only seven events remaining, with Montgomerie likely to enter only five of those at the most.

The Scot is down to 32nd in the world rankings, the lowest since he joined at number 36 in 1991, and is currently 21st on the money list, almost £200,000 behind 10th place.

And he will not be making much of a dent in that gap this weekend, occupying 44th place after the third round, worth around £7,000 if that remained the same on Sunday night.

“There is not a lot of time left and I certainly don’t want to lose my records,” said Montgomerie. “I did it at the last minute last year, thanks to Bernhard.”

Montgomerie is considering ditching the ‘belly’ putter he has used for most of the year and spent several hours after his round trying out various standard size clubs on the putting green.

And he wryly admitted he would also probably refrain from offering putting tips during a clinic he gave after his round.