Garcia shares the lead after sorcery

Sergio Garcia produced two pieces of magic to claim a share of the lead going into the final round of the Mallorca Classic.

Garcia holed out of a bunker to birdie the 13th and then chipped in for another birdie on the 17th in a third round 68 at Pula Golf Club.

On a day when strong winds sent scores soaring – Australia’s Daniel Gaunt went out in 46 on his way to an 84 and Jonathan Lomas ran up a 10 in his 81 – only Austria’s Markus Brier managed a lower score with a 67.

But Garcia may come to regret dropping a shot on the 18th for the second day in succession – this time failing to get up and down from the back of the green.

That left him with a share of the lead with England’s Simon Khan on nine under par, two shots ahead of Brier.

“It was a really difficult day,” said the 24-year-old, who was a hot favourite to triumph here after turning down the chance to win £1million in the World Match Play at Wentworth.

“The wind was blowing really hard at times and it was definitely good to get it going a little bit with a few birdies.

“On the 13th it was a pretty simple bunker shot and I was thinking I could hole it. As soon as it hit the green it looked like it couldn’t miss and on 17 I was chipping back into the wind and uphill so it was not a very difficult chip.”

Starting the day three shots clear of the field, par at the first two holes was enough for Khan to move four ahead of the chasing pack as the blustery wind quickly claimed several casualties in the final groups – Peter Fowler running up a triple-bogey seven on the first and Emanuele Canonica taking six on the same hole.

Khan was briefly five shots clear when he birdied the third but bogeyed the fifth either side of birdies from Garcia at the fourth and sixth – the hole he eagled yesterday – to see his lead slashed.

Balls were moving in the wind on the more exposed greens but play continued and Khan’s lead was wiped out in the space of a few minutes.

A bogey on the treacherous par five 10th left him just one clear and Garcia drew level for the first time courtesy of the birdie on 13.

Khan responded in style with birdies of his own on the 12th and 13th and despite bogeys at the 14th and 17th remains on course for a second victory of the year.

The 32-year-old from Essex had made a total of nine visits to the European Tour qualifying school and taken a variety of jobs, from taxi driving to roofing and pipe fitting, to fund his golf before his triumph at Celtic Manor.

Ranked 255th in the world at the start of the week, Khan equalled the tour record with a front nine of 27 in his second round 61 before coming from four behind with seven to play on the final day to beat Paul Casey in a play-off.