OLIVER WILSON put himself in contention for his maiden career title after carding a third round three-under-par 69 to open up a one-stroke lead over former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy at the rain-affected HSBC Champions yesterday.
The 28-year-old began the second round a shot adrift of Ryder Cup regulars Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, but while the experienced duo managed level par rounds of 72 to fall back into third place, Wilson carded just one bogey at a bright Sheshan International Golf Club to sit at the top of the leaderboard at 12 under par.
The pair were only able to complete two holes of the final round before being called in yesterday, with their positions unchanged.
Graeme McDowell shot a disappointing 76 in the third round, but was two under after five holes of his final round to be six under overall and in a share of 10th.
Padraig Harrington and Peter Lawrie were five under through seven and six holes respectively, Damien McGrane was four under through four, while Darren Clarke was well off the pace on seven over par after 10 holes.
Wilson ranks his Ryder Cup triumph over Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim as the highlight of his career.
Even though he has yet to win a tournament, the 28-year-old made his Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla and teamed up with Henrik Stenson to come back from four down to defeat world number two Mickelson and rising star Kim in Saturday morning's foursomes.
The world number 55 has been disappointed with his form since his return from Kentucky, but believes the experience will prove crucial in the final round.
"It gave me a lot of confidence. It's definitely the best moment of my career," Wilson said.
"To do it and play that well, and the way it worked out, holing the putt on the 17th in that kind of situation, was just phenomenal.
"Getting into the Ryder Cup and then playing like I did, beating Mickelson and Kim, it was great for me and it was great to play with Henrik. These guys are the best in the world, and when you can play with them and perform how I did, I feel like there's nothing I can't do in golf.
"At the Ryder Cup I have never had that much fun on a golf course. I wish I could recreate how I felt at the Ryder Cup at tournaments, it's just different.
"But my mental game and comfort levels are now completely different. I feel like I belong at the top. I still don't feel like one of the top players in the world, but I feel more comfortable.
"I would love to win this, I have felt good all week and even before we teed off I felt like this could be the one and I am in a good position," he added.
Kim admitted he was shocked after being disqualified after using a damaged driver during his third round. The 23-year-old caught the club on a sprinkler head while walking down the seventh fairway and proceeded to use the driver twice off the eighth tee.
Under the rules of golf, which are built up through precedent, any player who damages a club other than during normal play and subsequently uses it or replaces it is disqualified.
"I hit a driver off the tee and I was walking with it as I usually do, I wasn't angry, I was just walking down the fairway and the tip of the club hit the top of the sprinkler. I looked at it and it looked a little bit different, but I wasn't sure. I put it in the bag and on eight during my practice swing I looked down and it looked a little bit different," said Kim.
"I hit it and it went 150 yards, I didn't think anything of it. I hit a provisional as that ball was out of play, but that ball went 100 yards right, way shorter, and I looked down and it looked worse.
"I found a rules official and told them what happened and they told me if it had changed it was a disqualification. I was pretty shocked, I didn't know that was the case, but the rules are the rules."
Higgins misses in play-off
EUROPEAN TOUR: David Higgins will not be joining Simon Thornton and Jonathan Caldwell in the final of the European Tour Qualifying school next week after missing out on the last spot in a seven-man play-off at Sherry Golf in Jerez yesterday morning.
Thornton and Caldwell both secured their spots on Saturday.
The former closed with a 72 to finish tied for eighth at Arcos Gardens, and the latter finished in a five-way tie for 15th spot at Montenmedio after a final round of 71.
After finishing in a tie for 19th with six others on three-under-par, Higgins took to the course again yesterday, but it was Scotland's Lloyd Saltman who claimed the last available slot from 78 with a birdie on the first play-off hole.
Higgins would have qualified comfortably had he not carded a 75 in his last round. The Kerry man opened on Wednesday with a 73, but then signed for a 69 and a 68 before slumping back down the leaderboard.
SENIOR TOUR: Sam Torrance claimed his first win of 2008 at the Castellon Open Espana Senior Tour Championship, on a day when another Ryder Cup-winning captain, Ian Woosnam, sealed his first European Senior Tour Order of Merit title.
Torrance - who has struggled all year with a hand injury - fired a final round 69 at Club de Campo del Mediterraneo to finish on 13 under par 203, two strokes clear of Chilean Angel Fernandez and Japan's Katsuyoshi Tomori at the Senior Tour's season finale.
It meant the 2002 Ryder Cup-winning captain maintained his record of winning each year on the Senior Tour since his first full season in 2004.
"It was last chance saloon to keep that run going," he said. "I knew that coming here. I hope to keep it going next year but only do it earlier."
Woosnam, who won two times in 2008, earned €320,119 in his rookie season to finish €62,376 ahead of nearest rival Gordon J Brand and become the first former European Tour Order of Merit winner to repeat the feat on the Senior Tour.
He said: "It has been a great season and I'm happy to be back in the record books."
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