Swede smell of success beckons for Lundberg

Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg took over from compatriot Fredrik Widmark to lead the Cadillac Russian Open on 12 under par after the third round at the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.

The two Scandinavians were paired together after Widmark led at the end of yesterday but the positions were reversed today as Lundberg played the better, shooting a 69 to his compatriot’s 71.

Lundberg had birdies at the par-four sixth and 14th and the short 16th to lead by one from Widmark, who recovered from an outward half of 38 to come home in 33 with three birdies in his last five holes, and Frenchman Sebastien Delagrange.

“The score was good but the game wasn’t too good. I made a rocky start but it got better and better and by the end of the round it felt all right,” said Lundberg, who is looking to regain his European Tour card he lost last year.

“There is no better feeling than when you are up there on the leaderboard. Everyone here wants the position I am in now.”

Delagrange carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66 with four birdies on the front nine and two coming home to reach 11 under.

Leading Britain is Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, who was briefly leading at 11 under with Delagrange but bogeyed the last for a 67 and a score of 10 under.

The Kirkcaldy 25-year-old, who started the day five under, had gone to the turn in 35 virtually unnoticed after a mixed front nine of three birdies and two bogeys in this co-sanctioned event between the European and Challenge Tours.

However, a birdie at the 11th was then followed by the eagle on the 561-yard 15th when he chipped in from 40 yards – having had a free drop from a scoreboard - and he followed that with other birdies at 16 and 17 before bogeying the last.

“The round was stop-start before the 11th. The birdie there helped me get going but the eagle was definitely the thing which kick-started it for me as I then hit it close on the par three. I’m delighted,” said Whiteford, who lost a play-off to fellow Scot Marc Warren at last week’s Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge.

“I’m swinging it okay. I kind of feel I know where the ball is going. Hopefully the putter works – that is always a thing of strife for me because it has never been great but it is getting there.

“I brought some confidence here [after Ireland]. Marc won it, I didn’t throw it away and I shot under par in the final round so it didn’t blow my confidence in losing that.

“It got me into this event. You have got to play these majors – well, our (Challenge Tour) majors – if you want to try to get into the top 15.

“I’m looking forward to the final round. I’ll play the same game and see what happens.

“If I got to 15 under I would be quite happy but it depends where they put the flags, because they can tuck them away.”