Low scoring has been the theme all week at Gleneagles, and that continued on Saturday as the PGA Centenary Course once again yielded birdies on a late summer’s day that was ideal for low numbers. However, at the end of a day that saw 54 of the 72 players shoot under par, it is 42-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez who shares the lead alongside talented 22-year-old Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.
Fleetwood, who started the day at 11-under alongside compatriot Mark Foster, got off to a birdie-eagle start that set the tone for what would be an excellent afternoon for the Southport born player. He would find himself at 6-under for the day, and in the outright lead, standing on the 18th tee, before struggling to a closing bogey six. However, it still added up to a find round of 67, and it is one that puts him in strong position to claim his first title on the European Tour.
“The last hole does not really mean anything,” Fleetwood said. "It's a tough hole and the way I hit my tee shot I did well to make six. I carved it into the trees and was lucky to have a chip out.
”If I hadn't I would have had to go back 100 yards and could have taken anything up to a ten. The way I played the first 17 holes was fantastic.”
Fleetwood, who is ranked 65th on the Race to Dubai, has struggled to put good rounds together consistently this year, and he takes significant encouragement from his play so far this week.
“I have been up there a bit this year and faltered a bit, so it's nice that I have kept my good golf going for three rounds.”
Fleetwood became the youngest player to win on the Challenge Tour in 2011, and arrived onto the European Tour with many expecting immediate success. However, there are no guarantees in professional golf, and his rookie season last year was largely a struggle, with a top ten in his final event retaining his playing rights for 2013. It was largely a difficult experience, but a valuable one that will stand him in good stead for the years to come.
“I came off the Challenge Tour feeling I was the best golfer in the world, it felt very easy and I could not do much wrong. Last year I was still working hard but maybe not working on the right things.
”The more you play poorly out here, the easier it is to get into a downward spiral. It was horrible, I didn't know that many people and it was very hard”, added Fleetwood.
”At this tournament last year I'm not sure that I expected to be back on this Tour this season, but I played great the second half of the season and have carried it on.”
After putting himself in a position to claim his maiden victory, Fleetwood admits that claiming victory in Scotland would be a particularly sweet achievement, not just for him, but also for his family.
“This is what you spend hours and hours practising for, to be up there in golf tournaments. I always used to watch this tournament as a kid and I love Scotland. My parents, Sue and Pete, would move here in a heartbeat and we've got a house behind the 12th hole this week so I'll do some practice and walk home.”
Fleetwood shared the lead at 16-under alongside Ricardo Gonzalez, who will be attempting to become the third player to win the Johnnie Walker wire-to-wire. The 43-year-old will surely secure his full-time status for next season, tomorrow, however a fifth victory on the European Tour would be a particularly special moment for the popular Argentine, after a traumatic few years off the course.
In the past two years, Gonzalez’s mother and father have passed away, and he admits that they are very much in his thoughts at he attempts to win in Perthshire.
“The last two years have been very difficult personally,” said Gonzalez. “If I win I would like to dedicate it to my mother and father, that's my target this week.”
Gonzalez, whose caddie, Dave Renwick, was previously alongside Jose Maria Olazabal, Steve Elkington and Vijay Singh, was delighted with his hard fought third round of 70.
“I think the first two days, I hit it very well from the fairway to the flag. I'm happy to make two under par on that course.”
Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed is just a shot back at 15-under, after a third round of 66 saw the 41-year-old play himself right into a position that could salvage a season that has seen him fall to 159th on the Race to Dubai.
Bernd Wiesberger remained at 13-under after a round of 72 in the final pairing on Saturday, as he looks to make a statement at Gleneagles to European captain Paul McGinley, with the Ryder Cup approaching in 13 months time.
Scottish hopes resting on the shoulders of Stephen Gallacher, who shot through the field with a stunning round of 64 to tie Wiesberger. Gallacher, who won the 2004 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, has tasted victory on home soil before, and a win on Sunday would be his second of the season, and he climbed the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic title back in February.
It promises to be a thrilling final day at Gleneagles, with the potential for low scoring giving hope to those slightly further back on the leaderboard, while also ensuring that the leaders will also have to keep up with the pace on what could become a shootout in the rolling hills of south Perthshire.
Those leaders are two players from different continents at the opposite ends of their careers, but who share a common objective tomorrow, which is to win the Johnnie Walker Championship.