Rose opens door to chasing pack

Nick Faldo was among those to take advantage as Justin Rose once again found life at the top difficult to handle at Wentworth today.

Rose, who led the Masters at Augusta by two last month and then crashed to an 81, was not heading for another collapse as devastating as that.

But, having taken the same advantage into the third round of the Volvo PGA championship, he covered the first 11 holes in one over and that opened the door to all the chasing pack.

Argentina’s big-hitting Angel Cabrera seized the chance to lead, following up birdies at the 10th and 11th with an eagle on the reach and charging to 12-under-par.

Swede Joakim Haeggman was one behind and Rose was joined on 10-under-par first by Devon-based Scot Scott Drummond and then by Darren Clarke when he too eagled the 12th.

Faldo, who last week suffered a third successive missed cut for the first time in his long and illustrious career, was one stroke further back on nine-under with one hole to play.

Resuming six adrift of Rose, the 46-year-old four-time winner of the title went to the turn in 34 and then became another to eagle the 509-yard 12th. His birdie at the 17th, another par five, lifted him into sixth spot.

Shock of the day was the falling away of world number three Ernie Els. Three times a runner-up in the event, the South African bogeyed four of his first eight holes after setting off again in joint second place and needed birdies at the 11th and 12th just to be in 13th spot, five behind.

Colin Montgomerie failed to make the move he was hoping for to boost his hopes of achieving the fifth place finish he needs to have a chance of earning a spot in next month’s US Open.

The Scot, round in 73 for three under, was then confronted by a Sunday tabloid reporter, whose opening gambit was to ask if he would be trying to have fun in the final round.

Montgomerie replied: “You’ve obviously not been divorced or had your wife’s picture in the papers. It can’t be fun right now.

“Wrong question. Start again.”

A month ago Montgomerie and his wife Eimear announced they were separating with a view to divorce. He has been a shadow of his former self ever since and last week in Germany had his worst finish – 128th – since his debut in 1987.