Tunnicliff inspired by Khan

England’s Miles Tunnicliff is in position to make it three shocks in a row on the European golf tour.

Tunnicliff, 261st in the world, took a five-stroke lead into today’s third round of the Diageo Championship at Gleneagles in Perthshire.

And this a week after 255th-ranked Simon Khan captured the Wales Open and a fortnight after 435th-ranked Scott Drummond out-gunned one of the strongest fields of the season to become Volvo PGA champion, his first victory as well.

Even though he is already a tour winner – the 2002 Great North Open at Slaley Hall – Tunnicliff has made 12 visits to the qualifying school and has taken inspiration from the recent trend of things.

“Of course it helps,” said the 35-year-old Malaga-based player. “I was watching when Simon said that all he was thinking about was winning and that’s what I have tried to do.

“I’ve been playing reasonably well the last few weeks, but the putting hasn’t been working and I just haven’t been finishing things off.

“It’s been there or thereabouts and it just seems to have come together these last two days.

“I felt quite calm when I was winning and I’ve been very relaxed here. I feel pretty confident, especially if I can carry on the way I’ve been going.”

However, Tunnicliff is still fighting a wrist injury.

He suffered the problem moving cases six weeks ago and he was worried before the start he might have to pull out. He did not hit a single practice shot on Wednesday.

Tunnicliff took a pain-killing tablet during his second-round 68 yesterday and is continuing to have ice and ultra-sound treatment.

Chasing a first prize of £233,300 he is five clear of Australian Nick O’Hern and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, with Dubliner Paul McGinley, Swindon’s David Howell and Swede Henrik Stenson one further back.

Tunnicliff’s first victory came two weeks after his mother died of cancer, having just told him to go out and win.

“Someone was looking down on me when I won. Let’s hope she’s there again,” he said.

Colin Montgomerie is nine behind, but Paul Lawrie – the only player in the starting line-up who has qualified for next week’s United States Open – missed the cut.

Lawrie described his rounds of 73 and 76 as “absolute torture” and the Aberdeen player, a sorry 131st on this season’s Order of Merit and without a top-30 finish since October, had this to say about the prospect of testing himself on a Shinnecock Hills lay-out where Corey Pavin’s winning score nine years ago was level par.

“Some of me thinks ’what’s the point?’ Playing the way I am playing and going to a course the way it is going to be set up, how many could I shoot out there?

“I don’t know. Right now I am entered and I am going, but if I keep playing the way I have been playing then I will have to take some time out and get it right.

“The confidence is totally gone. I’m expecting bad shots and some of them are just terrible – 10-handicapper stuff and sometimes worse than that. You’re supposed to enjoy golf, but it’s a toil.”

Lawrie is embarking on swing changes after two years without a win and five years on from his Open victory at Carnoustie.