Garcia looking for Ryder Cup flyer

What looked on paper an unfair fight – world number six against a player ranked 433rd – turned out to be anything but in the Swiss sunshine today.

Sergio Garcia, favourite for the Omega European Masters before the start and even more so once he built a three-stroke halfway lead, was back to only two ahead after the first eight holes of the third round.

Welshman Garry Houston, never higher than fourth in any European tour event, was much the steadier of the two and would have been level but for missing a birdie putt of under five feet at the fifth.

Both birdied Crans-sur-Sierre’s 543-yard first, but Garcia had to make an eight-footer for a double-bogey six on the fourth after missing the green and then chipping into a bunker.

The 25-year-old Spanish star, trying to make it six European tour wins to go alongside the six he has already achieved in America, pitched to two feet to birdie the sixth, but he had a real adventure on the 330-yard next.

In the rarefied air which makes the ball travel 10% further he did not even need a driver to green, but missed it and finished down a bank on a path next to a fence.

He asked for a referee, but the European Tour’s top rules official John Paramor – the man Garcia criticised over a decision in Australia four years ago and was fined £5,000 (€7,340)– told him there was no relief.

After playing off the path Garcia examined his club to see if it had been damaged, while the ball was still not on the green.

The resultant bogey left him 10 under, but the good news for him was that Houston played a poor chip and bogeyed it as well.

That left the 34-year-old on eight under and now joint second with England’s Paul Broadhurst, Dane Anders Hansen and South African Darren Fichardt, who had eagles at the first and seventh in his outward 32.

For Garcia victory would give him a flying start to the Ryder Cup qualifying campaign – and delight captain Ian Woosnam, who was himself three under alongside defending champion Luke Donald.

But Woosnam’s compatriot Houston had even more reason to keep his focus. He lies 126th on the Order of Merit with only a handful more events to climb into the top 115 and avoid an 11th trip to the tour school.

The third member of the final group was Jean Van de Velde, but he matched Garcia’s double bogey on the fourth and dropped off the leaderboard.

Van de Velde, a team-mate of Garcia’s in the 1999 Ryder Cup in Boston, suffered serious knee problems after that and lost his card last season.

However, he was runner-up at the French Open in June and while that will be remembered for his going in water both at the 72nd hole and play-off to revive memories of his Carnoustie nightmare six years ago he earned enough to be sure of a return to the circuit next season.

For the remainder of this year he is reliant mostly on invitations and the one for this week arrived only on Monday afternoon.