England’s Lee Westwood survived a double at the last to take the lead at the Made in Denmark into the final round on a day that produced mixed results for the South African contingent, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
It looked like a double-bogey from Westwood, who still fired a five-under 67, on the last would help first-round leader Jonathan Thomson back into the lead, only for the 22-year-old to make the same mistake and finish his day with a double.
Saturday left five Englishmen in the top six but that list does not include Ryder Cup automatic place chaser Eddie Pepperrell, who dropped out of contention with a 74 – a round made worse by the fact that he was playing alongside Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn, and Matt Fitzpatrick, now six back after a 66.
The big winner in that intriguing mini-battle was Thorbjorn Olesen, who made the cut on the number but moved up 25 places into T30 after a 67.
Thomson, who fought leukaemia as a young boy, will now head into Sunday a stroke behind the elder statesman in a group that includes countryman Steven Brown and Belgium’s Thomas Detry.
Playing alongside Westwood, South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout had a day to forget, especially when you consider how well he’d worked his way around the Silkeborg Ry Golf Club in rounds one and two.
He made a double-bogey at the 3rd after he hit a tree in the middle of the fairway with his second and put his third in the hazard.
A drop at the 5th was erased by a gain at the 8th before coming home in level par after struggling to find his best game. His 73 leaves him four off the pace and one ahead of countrymen Richard Sterne and Erik van Rooyen, who both fired 68s.
Justin Walters is in the quartet at -10 thanks to a 64 that included seven birdies in the first 13 holes.
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
