BMW PGA Championship: Francesco Laporta takes one-shot lead over Laurie Canter at Wentworth
Austria's Bernd Wiesberger is projected to qualify for Europe's Ryder Cup team, while Shane Lowry is currently just behind Lee Westwood in the race for the final automatic place in Padraig Harrington's side.
Sunday 12 September 2021 23:02, UK
Francesco Laporta takes a one-shot lead over Laurie Canter into the final round of the BMW PGA Championship, where Bernd Wiesberger moved a big step closer to securing a Ryder Cup debut.
The Italian carded a three-under 69 to move to 14 under and take a slender advantage into the final day at Wentworth, where 13 players will begin within four strokes of the lead.
Former world No 1 Adam Scott and Billy Horschel sit in a share of third alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Jamie Donaldson, while Ryder Cup hopefuls Wiesberger and Shane Lowry are both in the group three off the pace in tied-seventh after rounds of 67 and 69 respectively.
Wiesberger needs a top-50 this week to move above Rory McIlroy in the European Points List and is currently projected to make Padraig Harington's team, with Lowry currently just outside the automatic qualification spots.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat lost his overnight lead when he missed a three-footer to save par at the second and failed to get up and down to save par at the next, as Laporta holed a 25-footer at the first and cancelled out a bogey at the next by rolling in a 10-foot eagle at the fourth to temporarily jump three clear.
Laporta duffed a chip on his way to a bogey at the seventh and saw Crocker move alongside him on 12 under with back-to-back birdies from the 16th, only for the American to close with a bogey after finding water with his approach into the par-five last.
Canter made a 20-foot birdie at the eighth to become the next player to share the lead but then bogeyed the next, while Laporta ended a run of pars by making a 15-foot birdie at the 11th and doubling his advantage.
Laporta failed to convert a six-foot birdie chance at the 13th, with his lead cut to one when Horschel holed a 35-footer at the 15th - his third birdie in five holes - and Canter took advantage of the par-five 12th to also get to 12 under.
Bezuidenhout also joined the group one back when he five birdies in eight holes on his back nine to card a four-under 68, only for Laporta to restore his two-shot cushion by converting from 15 feet to birdie the 16th.
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Donaldson followed back-to-back birdies from the 16th with a 25-foot eagle at the last to add to the group tied-second, while Laporta was unable to take advantage of either the closing par-fives and set the clubhouse target at 14 under.
Canter closed the gap by holing from four feet at the par-five 17th, with the Englishman remain one behind when he squandered a birdie opportunity from inside ten feet at the last.
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