BMW Masters: Scots duo going strong in Shanghai

Scotland's Craig Lee calmly gets out of trouble during the BMW Masters. Picture: AP

The duo were tied for fifth place with England’s Paul Casey after all three shot 71s in the third round to finish on five-under-par 211, three shots behind joint leaders Luke Guthrie and Rafa Cabrello-Bello.

Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is second on seven-under with France’s Gregory Bourdy a shot behind him.

Lee, from Stirling, said he was delighted with his golf in the tournament so far, particularly as he was suffering from jetlag. He said: “I would have certainly taken that on Wednesday. The course is very tough and its fallen to the strengths of my game. I’m still not getting the hang of the greens but we have another day to rectify that.

“They say it takes 12 rounds of golf to get to know a golf course properly and I am going into tomorrow in my fifth so I am half way there. If I come back next year I might have mastered them.

“There’s a lot of jet-lag, I think I have done 47 hours’ flying in seven days because I went out to Australia as well but I am delighted with the way I’ve performed. I had to go back to Dubai to pick up a passport and a visa otherwise it would have been a straightforward journey. I slept okay on the plane so that makes life a  lot easier.”

Glaswegian Scott Jamieson is hoping he doesn’t rue bogeying the 18th for the third day running. He said: “A very solid day and again disappointed to drop one on the last. I know I’m not the only one, it’s a tough hole, but hopefully I will make a birdie there tomorrow.

“The wind has been off the right on that hole all week and the pin up on the narrow ledge on the right=hand side, more often than not the ball is above your feet on the fairway so everything is against you. If you are not on the correct level it’s a pretty difficult putt.”

The other Scots in the field, Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher find themselves out of contention, on three and six over par respectively. Rutherglen’s Marc Warren had drifted even further out of the running on ten over.

Tournament leader Guthrie stumbled at the end of the third round and ended up tied for the lead with Cabrera-Bello, having led the event since his 65 in the first round and had a three-shot lead at one point on the back nine at Lake Malaren.

But his tee shot caught the bunker on the 16th, leading to a bogey. And he was in such an awkward spot on the 18th green that Guthrie felt his best option was to chip off the putting surface. He missed an eight-foot putt to take another bogey for an even-par 72.

Cabrera-Bello was far more efficient, keeping bogeys off his card in a round of 67. His final birdie on the par-3 17th turned out to be good enough for a share of the lead at eight-under 208.

Scotland’s Vikki Laing birdied the last four holes as she shot the lowest round of the day, a 65, at the Sanya Ladies Open at Yalong Bay Golf Club in China to sit on four-under, alongside England’s Charley Hull.

Korea’s Ye Na Chung claimed a slender lead thanks to a round of 68. Chung carded five birdies and just one bogey to finish 12 under par at, one shot ahead of South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace who had a flawless 66. England’s Laura Davies is seven shots off the pace after a 71, one shot better off than teenager Hull.