Fisher overcomes nature

A brilliant closing birdie – the only one all day on the 471-yard 18th - tonight took England’s Ross Fisher into a three-stroke lead with a round to go in The European Open.

After battling all day with both Graeme McDowell and 25mph gusts at The London Club, the 27-year-old from Wentworth took full advantage of the Ulsterman driving into the lake on the last.

The hole had wreaked havoc with Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose among its victims, but Fisher hit a superb drive and then an approach to eight feet.

The putt gave him a 69 to add to his course record 63 and Friday 68 for a 54-hole total of 200.

Earlier in the week Fisher thought about not playing, so tired was he after successfully coming through 36 holes of Open qualifying on Monday.

He is certainly glad now he carried on and he has a golden opportunity for his second Tour win eight months after blowing the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai with a closing double bogey seven – and 14 months after finishing the BMW PGA Championship on his home course with an 84 when he was the joint leader overnight.

McDowell’s bogey meant he signed for a 71 and it still looks as if it might be between the two for the first prize.

South African David Frost, at 48 years 9 months trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history, is in third place on 10-under following a 69.

The former US Tour multiple winner was close to being the only player all day to get round without a dropped shot, but bogeyed the last.

Joint fourth on eight-under are Ireland’s Paul McGinley, Dane Soren Hansen and Swede Michael Jonzon.

Sergio Garcia, favourite for the title when he played the first six in one under, came home in 39 to be in a tie for seventh. That included a double bogey six on the 13th when he was put off by a photographer on the tee and shanked into knee-high rough.

Defending champion Montgomerie came to the last three holes nine-under, but bogeyed them all to slide to joint 10th nine strokes back.

After a drive into deep rough on the 16th the Scot, runner-up in France last Sunday and so keen to build on that to improve his Ryder Cup chances if nothing more, failed to get up and down from over the green on the short 17th and then pulled his drive into the lake on the last.

“I’m not the story – I think you’ll find I’m not the story,” he said afterwards, having first of all thrown his ball into a dustbin.

A big finish could still make it another good week in his comeback, but Ian Poulter is back in the pack on two-under after a 77.

The damage was done in a front nine 41 that began with him suddenly remembering he had not bandaged the wrist he has been been protecting since pulling out of the US Open three weeks ago.

A physio came out on the course, but he called it “a schoolboy error”, adding: “I completely and utterly forgot.”

He did not blame the wrist for his poor day, though. “It’s hard to make birdies when it’s 30mph and with pins tucked away you can only hit to 30 feet.

“When we got it wrong it was wrong and when we got it right it was wrong. Tough day at the office – they happen.”

Open champion Harrington, having made the cut with only a shot to spare, improved from 33rd to 14th with an eventful 69.

Out in 31 and on the leaderboard at one point, he bogeyed three of the next five, had a second eagle on the day on the 548-yard 15th, but then drove into the lake at the last for a closing bogey.

The Dubliner was quick to take the positives out of the day.

“The game is in far better shape than at any stage last year,” he said. “This is a good fore-runner for The Open – as close to links golf as a parkland course is going to get.”

Rose, last season’s European number one, is left with only a confidence-building exercise in the last round after slumping to joint 60th of the 70 players with a 77.

That was completed with a triple bogey seven on the last, Rose compounding the error of his drive into the water with a fluffed chip into the bunker short of the green.