Luke Guthrie and Rafael Cabrera-Bello will share the lead going into the final round of the BMW Masters in Shanghai. The 23-year-old American, Guthrie, had held a four shot lead after the second round, but rescinded that advantage with two late bogeys that saw him settle for a level-par third round of 72. The talented Spaniard, Cabrera-Bello, who has two European Tour wins to his name, would card a flawless five-under round of 67 to rise through the pack and catch Guthrie at the summit of this event.
Cabrera-Bello, whose last win came in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic last year, would open with two birdies at Lake Malaren. After that ideal start, he maintained the momentum in the middle of his round, with further birdies at the seventh and 11th taking him to seven-under for the tournament. The 29-year-old would wait a while for his next birdie, but it came in superb fashion after a fantastic tee shot on the par three 17th left him with a mere three-foot putt to gain another shot. He would convert, before making a fine up and down from a greenside bunker on the 18th to complete a third round of 67, and set the clubhouse target at eight-under.
Guthrie still held a one-shot lead at this point, but took three shots on the 18th green to make bogey and fall back to eight-under for the tournament after settling for a level-par round of 72.
“Really happy to keep playing good and happy, also, to put a good round together and be in contention tomorrow,” said Cabrera-Bello, who came into this week ranked 49th on the Race to Dubai.
“I started with two birdies today, which was good. It gave me confidence straightaway, and then I just stayed calm, one shot at a time, and today it worked.
”I'm happy, I'm proud, I'm confident and I'm enjoying the tournament so far, so hopefully tomorrow I can keep those feelings and take them on to the golf course with me, go out there, play my best and enjoy.”
Hoping for a similarly positive frame of mind is Luke Guthrie, who remained bullish despite dropping shots at the 16th and 18th to fall into a tie for the 54-hole lead. He had led by four shots at the halfway stage on Friday, and retained that advantage after chipping in for birdie at the eighth.
However, inconsistency would be the theme for the remainder of his round, with dropped shots at the ninth and 12th undermining a birdie at the 10th. He would bounce back from that with a birdie at the 13th, but the field closed in after those two dropped shots late on.
“At the beginning the week, if I was tied going into the fourth round tied for the lead, I'd have taken it,” said the two-time winner on the Web.Com Tour.
”As today went it was a little frustrating. When I made a couple birdies, I seemed to step on my own foot a few times. Like at 18, I didn't hit my greatest shot obviously, but wish I didn't have to chip it on the green to get it close.
”Overall I was hitting it well, putting well, and just let a few shots get away toward the end and that's never fun really. I'm tied for the lead going into tomorrow and I'm excited.”
Cabrera-Bello’s compatriot, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, is just a shot off the lead, after he also compiled a third round of 67. The likeable player from Madrid, who has six European Tour victories to his name, bounced back from a bogey at the 17th, with a birdie at the closing hole to move within one shot of the leaders with 18 holes remaining.
Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, who has impressed in recent months, holed a remarkable 100-foot putt on the ninth for birdie. The winner of the ISPA Handa Wales Open would later hole a putt of an entirely different nature, but no less significant. He held is nerve to roll in a 12-foot putt for par on the final hole to complete a third round of 67, which leaves him just two shots off the lead.
This event is the first stage of the European Tour’s inaugural ‘Final Series’, with four lucrative tournaments ultimately determining the Race to Dubai winner. The leader coming into this week was Henrik Stenson, who recently claimed the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour. However, the Swede succumbed to a third round of 79 in China, which opens the door to his closest challengers to move within striking range of his position.
There was frustration also for Rory McIlroy, who looked understandably deflated after a double bogey on the closing hole at Lake Malaren. The two-time major champion had moved to four-under for the day, after a run of four consecutive birdies just after the turn. However, despite rekindling some of his best form, the Northern Irishman’s challenge has been likely ended with that closing double that takes him back into a tie for 14th at two-under.