Otto in charge in Madeira

South African Hennie Otto finished with a five-stroke lead with one round to play in the Madeira Islands Open today.

Chasing his first victory on the circuit and not even the holder of a Tour card at the moment, the 31-year-old today added a third successive 67 for a 15-under-par total.

Scotland's Alastair Forsyth, whose only victory came in the 2002 Malaysian Open, shot 66 to improve from seventh to second.

There was an even bigger move from Londoner Gary Clark, another without a Tour card at present. His best-of-the-week 64 sent him charging through the field from 19th to third.

Ireland's only competitor, Peter Lawrie, shot a respectable 69 to finish the day three under for the tournament.

Pre-tournament favourite Bradley Dredge, the only player in the world's top 125 taking part and needing to win to move back into the top 50 a week before the cut-off for The Masters, is only 20th and 13 adrift.

Otto is best known to European golf fans for two things - leading The Open and throwing his clubs in a river.

His "river" tantrum came in 2001 after he missed the cut in the South African Masters. So disgusted was he by a round of 80 that he broke every one of his clubs in half and then chucked them off a bridge.

Two years later, however, he played the first major championship of his career at Sandwich - and nobody could match his opening 68. He went on to finish joint 10th.

The closest he has come to winning on the European Tour was at the end of that year. He stormed into the lead with a closing 65 at the Hong Kong Open, but Padraig Harrington then birdied the last two holes to pip him.

Otto lost his Tour card at the end of the 2004 season - but with all the stars away this week, his 141st place on last year's Order of Merit was good enough to get him into the Madeira field.