Play-off on the cards at Gleneagles

Two years after a five-man, five-hole play-off was necessary to decide the Johnnie Walker Championship, extra holes again looked on the cards midway through the final round at Gleneagles.

Home favourite Stephen Gallacher, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo shared the lead on 17 under par, with Ricardo Gonzalez and Bernd Wiesberger a shot behind.

Fleetwood and Gonzalez had shared the lead overnight only for Gonzalez to run up a double-bogey six on the first hole after carving his second shot 50 yards right of the green and losing the ball.

Seeking his first European Tour title, Fleetwood made the ideal start with a birdie on the par-five second to move two shots clear, but Gallacher bounced back from a bogey on the first with an eagle from long range on the second.

Gallacher, whose participation has been in doubt all week due to a back injury suffered while washing his car on Monday, also birdied the fifth, eighth and ninth to join Fleetwood at the top of the leaderboard.

Grillo was in line to set the clubhouse target, the 20-year-old going to the turn in 32 and picking up further shots at the 12th, 14th and 15th.

Gallacher's chances suffered a massive blow on the 11th after his approach flew over the green and into some thick bushes, from where he had to take a penalty drop.

He then fluffed his chip, hit his fifth shot to four feet and missed the putt to card a triple-bogey seven, although all hope was not yet lost.

Grillo had bogeyed the 16th and 17th but birdied the last to complete a 66 and set the target at 16 under par, with Gonzalez briefly leading thanks to a birdie on the 11th, only to then bogey the next.

Wiesberger, Shane Lowry and Brett Rumford had all reached 16 under only to drop shots at the 13th, 15th and 16th