Little progress for McGinley in poor conditions

Ireland’s Paul McGinley, the lowest placed of four big names in the BA-CA Austrian Open, failed to advance his score on the third day at the Fontana Golf Club just outside Vienna.

Having made the cut by one shot, with a superb bunker shot at the last to two feet for birdie having eased his worries, the Ryder Cup star was one of the early starters but conditions were not in his favour.

Gusting winds were, midway through his round, accompanied by a 30-minute heavy rain shower which ensured scoring was slow.

McGinley began his round at level par but immediately dropped a shot at the first.

However, birdies at the third and fifth, both short par fours, took him back into red figures only for him to bogey the 425-yard eighth.

He clawed that back at the next, the 528-yard ninth, but then bogeyed the 10th to return to level par.

His playing partner, South African Darren Fichardt, enjoyed slightly better form after he too bogeyed the first to slip to one over.

Birdies at the third and ninth were followed by another at the par-five 15th to move him to two under.

It was the best scoring of the day with only five of the 49 players out on the course so far under par.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn had two bogeys and one birdie in his first six holes to drop to level par while the other Ryder Cup stars, Colin Montgomerie (seven under) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (eight under) were not out until after midday.