Sergio Garcia has extended his lead to three shots on the third day of the DunlopPhoenix event on Kyushu Island, Japan.
The Spaniard leads from fellow Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas Bjorn after afour-under-par 67 took him to 15 under for the tournament.
Bjorn shot a 69 but will be ruing two bogeys in this last three holes whichwould have kept the pressure on Garcia, although with high scores proliferatingall week a three-shot deficit is no barrier to him winning tomorrow.
Garcia dropped a shot on the 435-yard second but picked up two at the fifthand seventh and these were followed by back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12.
Another bogey at 14 was then followed by birdies on the 16th and 18th.
Bjorn, runner up in The Open at Royal St George's in the summer, matchedGarcia's two birdies and one bogey over the front nine but was slightly moreerratic coming home as he picked up shots on the 10th, 13th and 15th but bogeyedthe 13th and the 16th.
Lee Westwood moved into a tie for 11th place with a three-under-par round of68.
South Africa's Trevor Immelman, a World Cup winner for South Africa at KiawahIsland last weekend, shot a par round of 71 to remain at two under for thetournament.
It was something of a mixed bag for Immelman as two birdies in the first fourholes promised much but a dropped shot at the ninth was followed by adouble-bogey six at the 455-yard 15th and only a birdie at the last salvaged alevel-par round.