England edge back in front

Luke Donald and David Howell squelched their way back into the outright lead at golf’s World Cup in Portugal today.

Heavy overnight rain saturated the Victoria course in Vilamoura and as well as tee times being brought forward for the third round fourballs placing was allowed on the fairways.

Holders England resumed joint top with Wales and Sweden and Donald made the first moves when he sank a 15-foot putt on the 358-yard second and then pitched close for another birdie at the long third.

When Howell then birdied the 407-yard fourth they were 19 under par and two ahead of Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd and also Henrik Stenson and Niclas Fasth, both those teams producing matching birdies at the second.

The gap came back to one, though, when Dodd and Fasth birdied the 566-yard third.

Donald won with Paul Casey in Seville a year ago, but although Casey had chosen him for that week he had picked Howell as his partner this time because he was the next highest Englishman on the world rankings.

Howell’s victory over Tiger Woods in Shanghai last week made them favourites for the trophy and they justified that with an opening 59 in Thursday’s fourballs.

Switching to foursomes yesterday, however, the duo had not looked so impressive – until three closing birdies brought them level.

Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd had finished with four in a row to boost their hopes of emulating 1987 champions Ian Woosnam and David Llewellyn.

The round of the week so far had come from Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Ricardo Gonzalez, a dazzling 61 which lifted them from joint last to fourth.

Their only advance over the opening stretch this morning, however, was Cabrera’s two-putt birdie at the third.