Thursday 2 April 2020 11:23, UK
Padraig Harrington remained in the hunt for his first European Tour victory in over eight years as "retired" Dane Anders Hansen stole the show on the third day of the Portugal Masters.
Harrington carded a battling 67 to stay just one stroke off the lead held jointly by fellow veteran Hansen and the gallant Mikko Korhonen, who is playing for his career having arrived at Victoria Clube de Golfe ranked 116th on the Race to Dubai and needing a top 20 finish to be certain of retaining his card for next season.
Andy Sullivan staged a late rally to haul himself back into the running with three straight birdies from the 15th, although he then three-putted the final green from long range to slip two behind the leaders.
Hansen, playing in only his fifth event of the season, may have to reconsider his decision to retire as he powered to the top of the leaderboard on 18 under with a flawless 62, carding six birdies over the last eight holes in a remarkable effort from the 46-year-old.
The evergreen Dane, whose last European Tour win was in 2009, was soon joined in the clubhouse lead by Finland's Korhonen, who is on course to earn his third top-10 finish of an inconsistent season following a valiant 64.
Korhonen's round featured four birdies on each half and just a single blemish at the short sixth, while Harrington ended the day in outright third despite losing his shape on the inward stretch.
The three-time major winner rolled in a 30-foot putt for an opening birdie and holed another from over 20 feet at the ninth as he picked up four shots in five holes to surge into the reckoning.
Harrington responded to a bogey at 11 with another birdie at the next, but he dropped another shot at the 14th and missed a great chance to get it straight back with a tentative four-foot birdie effort on the 15th green.
He did well to save par despite finding water with his second to the long 17th, and he recovered from another wayward drive at the last to get up and down from just short of the green at the last to stay at 17 under.
Hansen and Harrington (45) also have competition from 47-year-old Paul Lawrie after the Scot vaulted to 16 under after a brilliant back-nine 31 saw him return a 65.
Lawrie was just one under for the day until he eagled the 12th and birdied the next two holes before capping his best score of the season by draining a monster 45-footer for a closing birdie at the 18th.
Sullivan started the day tied for the lead with Marc Warren after his sensational 61 on Friday, but he dropped a shot at the first after pulling his approach into thick rough from the middle of the fairway as he struggled to the turn in 36.
The defending champion got back on track with birdies at 10 and 12 only to give one back at the next, but his late comeback lifted him back to within one of the lead until his mishap at the final hole.
Sullivan and Lawrie share fourth with Chris Paisley, who fired a faultless 65 with five birdies on the inward nine, while Warren was left to rue a run of three consecutive bogeys around the turn as a disappointing 70 left him three off the pace.
And the Scottish challenge was consolidated by an excellent 64 from 2014 Ryder Cup star Stephen Gallacher, who enjoyed a run of six birdies in seven holes as he vaulted 29 places up the leaderboard to 14 under par.
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