Lowry still in the hunt despite disappointing 73

By Simon Lewis at Wentworth

Thomas Bjorn took the BMW PGA Championship by the scruff of the neck at Wentworth today as Shane Lowry suffered a setback in his quest for a third European Tour victory of his career.

Rory McIlroy continued to defy his own doubts he could sustain the focus for a challenge in the wake of his personal problems with a three-under-par 69 which moves him into a tie for fourth place on eight-under.

But he and the rest of the field will first have to catch up with Bjorn, who will tee off in tomorrow's final round with a five-shot lead.

Denmark's Bjorn, the European Tour's Race To Dubai leader, and Irishman Lowry had started the rain-delayed and shower-affected third round as co-leaders at the halfway stage on 10 under par and with a four-shot cushion between them and the rest of the field.

When Bjorn double-bogeyed the first and bogeyed the fifth while Lowry bogeyed the third it looked like they would quickly fall back into the pack.

Bjorn continued to struggle on the front nine while Lowry was doing well to tough out his poor start, a birdie at the fourth undone with a bogey at the eighth.

Indeed, as the pair left the 10th green, Lowry was still the tournament leader on nine-under-par, a shot ahead of Bjorn, South Africa's Thomas Aiken and two-time BMW PGA winner Luke Donald.

By that stage, Italy's Francesco Molinari was already in the clubhouse with the round of the day, a seven-under-par 65 to move to six-under and apparently in contention - although Bjorn was about to change that.

Lowry's doggedness could not prevent a bogey at the par-five 12th and it was there that the initiative went the Dane's way, his birdie engineering a two-shot swing as he regained the outright lead he had claimed with a course-record 62 in round one.

Not only that, Bjorn went on a run of six straight birdies that put clear daylight between himself and the field.

A missed birdie putt at 17 was a mere blip and the 43-year-old finished with a flourish, his birdie at the last giving him a 67 and moving him to 15-under-par.

For a player who in 16 previous trips to this tournament has a best result of a tie for fifth back in 1998, this is a remarkable turn of events.

“I'm starting to warm to this place,” Bjorn joked before addressing the expectation this is his victory for the taking.

“Yeah, but there's a couple of names on that leaderboard that you should never count out of your mind. Got to go out and try to play some good golf and try and be aggressive when I can and try and be smart when I don't really need to be aggressive, and try and keep them at arm's length tomorrow.

“If I get a bad start tomorrow, it's very much an open tournament, so just got to go out and try to stay focused and determined on what you're doing, and try and play a good round of golf.”

He will start the final round five clear of Donald at 10 under after a 68, while Lowry is a shot further back on nine under, his birdie at 17 keeping his hopes alive as he carded a one-over 73.

The Irishman concurred with Bjorn that there is still a long way to go in this tournament.

“Just felt a bit flat out there today,” Lowry said. “It was tough. Trying not to look at scoreboards and next thing I knew, I was two ahead, I had done okay. I haven't been there for a while.

“He's six ahead of me going into tomorrow but this course, anything can happen.

“Hopefully I can get off to a good start. I just have to go and see what I can do. Be nice to contend and nice to give myself a chance going into the back nine tomorrow.

“Disappointed, one-over, but could have been a lot worse. I didn't play great today. Hit some poor drives. Just didn't feel comfortable out there. My alignment felt a bit off and just didn't feel that comfortable, simple as that.

“But I still have half a chance and if you'd have given me this position going into tomorrow on Wednesday, I would have taken your hand off, so I can't really complain.”

McIlroy shares fourth place with Dutchman Joost Luiten, who carded a 67, with Pablo Larrazabal alone in sixth on seven under, Molinari and Aiken among a large group on six-under.

Two-time major winner and world number 10 McIlroy will go into Sunday's final round with just as much optimism as his compatriot Lowry that Bjorn can be caught.

“I've had big leads and let them slip, and come from behind and won,” McIlroy said.

“There's a lot of ways to win, 18 holes of golf is still a long way to go, but I'm going to need something very special, maybe something similar to what Thomas did the first day.

“But if the condition are favourable, then you never know what can happen.”

Simon Thornton was best placed of the other Irishmen to make the halfway cut, at one-under-par following a third-round 73 on Saturday.

Further down the leaderboard, Padraig Harrington with one eye on Monday's US Open qualifier at nearby Walton Heath, carded a two-over 74 to drift to three-over for the tournament.

Damien McGrane completes the Irish presence this weekend and the Meathman also posted a 74, leaving him on four -over.