Parry assumes Vivendi lead in Paris

Golf:England's John Parry will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Vivendi Cup near Paris where Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley both made up ground but are still some way off the lead.

Parry, joint leader at halfway with Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin, carded a third round of 70 at Golf de Joyenval to finish 15 under par.

Denmark’s Mark Haastrup fired a 66, the low round of the day, to move into a share of second place on 14 under alongside Sweden’s Johan Edfors, who was round in 67.

Sandelin briefly led on his own after birdies at the eighth and ninth, but the former Ryder Cup player bogeyed the last two holes to fall back into a four way tie for fourth on 13 under.

Parry, a team-mate of Rory McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down, led after 36 holes in Austria last week but slipped back to 20th.

The Harrogate golfer, who is in his first full year on the circuit, was confident he would have learnt from that experience and certainly kept his nerve after a stumble on the back nine to stay at the top of the leaderboard.

After going to the turn in 34 with three birdies and one bogey, Parry dropped shots at the 10th and 12th but regrouped superbly with birdies at the next two holes.

Earlier in the day, Harrington showed signs of getting his game in shape for next week’s Ryder Cup with a mixed bag third round of 69.

The three-time major winner only made the cut right on the mark of two under par courtesy of three birdies in his last six holes. He recovered from a shaky start today to card a total of eight birdies on the Marly course.

The Dubliner dropped a shot at the first and birdied the third, but then ran up a double bogey on the fourth and bogeyed the fifth to no doubt leave European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie a worried man.

However, the 39-year-old - one of Montgomerie’s three wild cards for Celtic Manor - rediscovered his composure to par the sixth and then birdie four of the next five holes.

Further birdies followed at the 13th and 16th and, after a bogey on the 17th, Harrington finished in style with a birdie at the last. At five under he still lies 10 shots off the pace.

McGinley's four under 68 moved the Ryder Cup vice captain inside the top 30 at seven under. He made up most ground on the inward half with four birdies, while a birdie and a bogey were traded as he turned in level par.

Gary Murphy dropped back to one under after a 74.