Westwood unable to bridge gap

Lee Westwood's bid for a second European Tour title of the season came to an embarrassing end in the Austrian Open today.

Three off the lead with four holes of his third round to play, the Ryder Cup star duffed three chips in a row to run up a quadruple bogey nine on the par-five 15th.

Westwood's approach finished just a few feet off the putting surface but, attempting a delicate recovery from heavy rough, the 34-year-old only succeeded in moving the ball a few inches.

Two more attempts produced similar results and when he eventually hacked onto the green and two-putted, the former European number one had slumped back to four under par.

That was where he started the day and left him seven shots off the lead shared by Australian Richard Green and Sweden's Martin Erlandsson.

Another Swede, Johan Skold, had set the clubhouse target on 10 under after a 64, a score matched by Chris Gane to leave the left-hander a shot behind.

Gane could at least identify with Westwood's misery after famously taking 17 shots to play the 18th hole at Gleneagles during the Diageo Championship in 2003.

And he also had an unpromising start to his week at Fontana Golf Club when his suitcase failed to arrive on Tuesday - ironically his 33rd birthday - forcing him to practice in sweltering heat with waterproof trousers over his jeans.

"I was a bit ripe by the end of it and a few flies were gathering around me," joked Gane after a round of seven birdies and no bogeys. "People left me alone for a while. Fortunately a few of the guys I am staying with took me out for dinner which was a nice gesture.

"I'm chuffed to bits with where I am at the moment, especially after the first day when I was down and out after a 75. The rough can be really penal if you go in the wrong place. People watching on TV wouldn't be able to appreciate it, it's very tough. To shoot a 65 and then follow it up with a 64 is very pleasing.

"I won in Austria on the Challenge Tour in 2001 so hopefully I can put that to good use tomorrow. I've played here twice on the Challenge Tour and I loved it. I was actually gutted when it became a main European Tour event because it was one of the best on the Challenge Tour."