McDowell pulls away in South Korea

Graeme McDowell extended his lead to five strokes as Damien McGrane and Englishman Oliver Wilson charged up the leaderboard during the third round of the Ballantine’s Championship.

The 28-year-old McDowell, from Portrush, picked up four shots to move to 16-under and go clear of the chasing pack, which was led by India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, at Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island, in the inaugural European Tour event in South Korea.

Singh, playing alongside McDowell, was on 11-under, one under for the day, while Ireland’s Paul McGinley was six strokes behind and one-under after six holes.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn picked up two shots in six holes to be level with McGinley and South Korea’s Kim Hyung-tae.

McGrane hit five birdies in 10 holes to go five-under while Wilson was four under after nine following an eagle, three birdies and a bogey.

McDowell, who led by two strokes halfway through the tournament following rounds of 68 and 64, has lauded the 7,345-yard layout and flourished in the best of the conditions yesterday, carding the lowest round of the tournament in a second round delayed by high winds.

McDowell, whose season’s best finish was fifth in the Dubai Desert Classic, is chasing a first European Tour victory since the 2004 Italia Open - his second triumph – and made a remarkable start with successive birdies on the par-four first and the par-three second.

McDowell then holed from 12 feet on the fourth for an eagle to go four-under for the day.

McGrane, resuming on four-under, opened with a birdie three on the first before two straight birdies on the fourth and fifth, a three at the par-four eighth and a four at the par-five 10th.

Wilson, from Mansfield, picked up five shots in the opening six holes, including an eagle three at the fourth, but his progress was checked by a bogey five at the seventh and he completed a front nine of 32.

Padraig Harrington carded a birdie four at the fifth to move to nine-under, while England’s Phillip Archer was seven-under after 14 holes following six birdies and a bogey.

South Korea’s SK Ho, who began on the 10th, was four-under after 12 holes to move to seven-under overall, while home favourite KJ Choi picked up one stroke to move to five-under.