COSTANTINO ROCCA and Mark McNulty matched shot for shot as playing partners to retain a share of the lead at 11 under par after the third round of the £1 million Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth yesterday. Eamoan Darcy continued to head the Irish challenge, five strokes back, with Paul McGinley a further stroke adrift on five under.
McGinley is hoping that a tournament which has been especially kind to him will continue to bestow favours. On this occasion, his target is to earn an exemption into the British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes in July.
At the end of this event, the leading five in the top-20 of the Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt, will go directly into the Lytham field. "I believe a top seven finish here will do it for me," said McGinley, who is currently 22nd in the Order of Merit.
From the existing top 20, Ian Woosnam (Sony rankings and 1995 Ryder Cup team), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Sony rankings), Colin Montgomerie (Sony Ranking, 1995 Order of Merit, 1995 Ryder Cup), Wayne Riley (1995 Order of Merit) and Wayne Westner (FNB Order of Merit) are already exempt.
So, McGinley must earn a minimum of £30,000 (seventh place) to stake his claim. On the other hand, Padraig Harrington, who shot a level par 72, is virtually certain of a place at Lytham, as three non exempt players would have to move ahead of him - a most improbable outcome, given the make up of the leaderboard.
Woosnam, meanwhile, enhanced his chance of exemption into next month's US Open by shooting a four under par 68 which contained an exemplary birdie, birdie, birdie finish. The Welshman's five year exemption for winning the 1991 US Masters expired after he had competed at Shinnecock Hills last year.
The exemptions go to the top two in the Order of Merit tonight, positions currently held by Woosnam and last week's Benson and Hedges International winner, Stephen Ames. As it happened, Woosnam's play was patchy in a seven birdie round, but his driving and putting were a considerable improvement on the opening two days.
McGinley had yet another miserable start, dropping two strokes in the first three holes. But the mood was changed by one of his favourite holes. A three wood onto the green at the 501 yard fourth set up a simple, two putt birdie at a hole where he had a birdie on Friday and an eagle on Saturday.
He went on to card five further birdies, more than off setting a bogey on the 15th where a blocked drive finished in trees. In fact he finished birdie, birdie, chipping dead at the long 17th, before two drivers and a delightful, sandwedge pitch to three feet set up another four at the last.
"I love it here," he said afterwards. "This is my fifth appearance in this championship and I've never missed a cut."
McGinley badly needed the lift, having missed his last three cuts, but the quality of his ball striking was of such a high order that he never appeared likely to do otherwise.
