Webster reveals guru's impact

Steve Webster hopes to crack his European Tour duck at the 247th attempt tomorrow – and if he does a lot of the credit will go to a “mind magician”.

The 30-year-old from Warwickshire takes a one-stroke lead over Yorkshireman Richard Finch into the final round of the Telecom Italian Open in Milan.

Webster, round in 66 today for a 14-under-par total of 202, has finished runner-up five times and had 27 top 10 placings since finishing top amateur - ahead of Tiger Woods – in the 1995 Open at St Andrews.

But in his search for the win he craves so much the former boyfriend of actress Susie Amy, who played Chardonnay in the ‘Footballers Wives’ series, started seeing Jamil Qureshi.

On a celebrity website Qureshi is described as a “new-wave mentalist performer” who is “fresh, cheeky, exotic and imposing, equally at home performing at intimate private shows and performing on stage”.

He now works with a number of European Tour players, including recent first-time winner Nick Dougherty, and is at Castello di Tolcinasco this week.

“I see him every day,” stated Webster, arguably the best player on the circuit yet to win.

“Of course I’ve under-achieved on tour. Ten years is a long time and when I look at players who have done well – no names mentioned – I know I am better than them.

“It’s just a matter of getting the mind right and Jamil can almost put me under. We work on feelings when I’ve played well and it’s all about positives vibes and pre-shot routine.”

After a course-record 63 put him 12 under par at halfway Finch resumed one ahead and he stretched that to three with an outward 33 spoilt only by a tee shot into water on the difficult short eighth.

But Webster – fives times a runner-up – had five birdies in a row around the turn to catch him.

He had two bogeys and a birdie in the last five holes, but that was better than Finch, who bogeyed the 15th and last, where he narrowly avoided going in the lake.

The 27-year-old from Hull still has a great chance, of course, to claim victory in only his ninth European tour start.

Finch said after a 71: “I enjoyed it out there. It was a slightly disappointing back nine really, but I’m still not out of it.”

Essex’s Simon Khan (68) and Welshman Bradley Dredge (71) are only two back in joint third and sharing fifth are Kent’s Jamie Spence, Devon left-hander Stuart Little, Scot David Drysdale and Irishman Gary Murphy.

Webster has had problems with his adrenalin levels as he battles for the breakthrough win.

In his second round he had to apologise for hitting into the group ahead on a par five and on the 17th hole of his third round he hit a five-wood 287 yards and then carried a wedge 115 yards into a back bunker.

“I was just a bit fired up and you’ve got to learn from things like that,” he said.

Spence lost his tour card last year and because he has started this season badly as well – one cut in five starts – he thought about resigning as the tour’s tournament committee chairman.

In Dubai in March he said: “I’d like to pack up and do something that I enjoy. Got any ideas?

“Being chairman is a pretty thankless task. Everyone’s moaning at you. There’s too much moaning, to be honest.”

After a best-of-the-day 65 today he commented: “I’ve asked some serious questions of myself. I don’t want to be a good chairman and crap golfer, but I’ve decided not to quit.

“I’ve had a rotten year and a half, but when I’m playing I’ve just got to concentrate on playing and when players come to me about something I’ll tell them to put it in a letter.

“Even last night I had some calls about our next meeting and it’s no coincidence I haven’t played as well since taking over from Mark. The last three events last year, when I should have been thinking about nothing other than keeping my card, my mind was elsewhere.”