Stephen Gallacher moves into top gear after winning car

Published on Sunday 12 February 2012 03:37

STEPHEN Gallacher moved into joint second place after Rory McIlroy and Thomas Bjorn opened the door to the chasing pack at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic yesterday.

The Scot, pictured below, who won a car with a hole-in-one at the 15th in his opening 69, carded a third-round 68 to leave him on 14 under, a shot behind leader Lee Westwood. He shares second place with German Marcel Siem and Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

The Bathgate golfer, 37, is seeking only his second European Tour victory. The first came at St Andrews in the Dunhill Links championship eight years ago.

Gallacher was struck down with a debilitating viral infection in 2009 that left him unable to pick up a club for four months and sent him tumbling down the rankings. He has since battled back and will now join Westwood in today’s leading trio.

“It feels great – all you can ask is to be in with a chance in the last round, there’s still a lot of golf to go,” Gallacher said. “I knew I was going to come back, it was just a case of how long.”

Glaswegian Scott Jamieson is just a shot behind Gallacher, sharing fifth with McIlroy, world No.4 Martin Kaymer and Swede Joel Sjoholm, whose second successive 66 was the low round of the day.

Overnight leaders McIlroy and Bjorn shot 72 and 73 respectively, US Open champion McIlroy going into the water on the short seventh and Bjorn doing the same at the 564-yard last. That led to the 40-year-old Dane’s third bogey in the final four holes and he is now down in joint ninth place on 12 under, three behind Westwood, who carded a five-under par 67 and is seeking a third title in his last six starts, having left fields for dead in South Africa and Thailand at the end of last year.

n South Korea’s Charlie Wi held a three-shot lead in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after shooting a three-under round of 69 on a second day which saw Tiger Woods fail to make the most of his chance.

Woods shot a two-under 68 on the easiest of the three courses, the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, to lie at six under at halfway.

Wi took 29 putts but his up and down round included five birdies, an eagle and four bogeys. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington ended the day in a tie for third at eight under, while US-based Scot Martin Laird was joined on one under by Ian Poulter.

n American Jessica Korda holds a one-stroke lead going into the final round of the Australian Women’s Open at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Korda, whose father Petr won the Australian Open tennis in 1998, shot an even-par 73 which leaves her one shot ahead of Australian Nikki Campbell.

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