• Castello Masters, Round Three

Garcia on verge of victory after blowing field away

Sergio Garcia was on form again on his home turf © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Imperious Garcia cruises to emphatic 11-shot victory
  
• News: Garcia imperious as Lewis is forced to withdraw
  
• News: Garcia makes bright start at Castello Masters
  
• Profile: Sergio Garcia | Alexander Noren

Leaderboard

Sergio Garcia is on the verge of his first victory on the European Tour in three years, as he takes an eight-shot lead into the final round of the Castello Masters.

Garcia, the host of the event this week on the Spanish coast, began the third round with a two-shot lead but quickly extended that advantage, as he picked apart the Club Campo del Mediterraneo course while his nearest rivals made a number of errors.

The Spaniard birdied five of his final six holes to follow Friday's round of 63 with a similarly impressive 64, putting him an impressive 19-under for the tournament and with a great chance of winning the event he also won in 2008.

"That's the plan!" Garcia told Sky Sports afterwards, when asked if he would win again on Sunday. "It's well set up but it's not over yet. Anyone can shoot a round like I did the last few days, they are all that good, so I need to stay focused."

It didn't all start smoothly for Garcia, however, after he dropped a shot at the third when he found trouble. He missed a makeable opportunity to get that shot back at the next, but he salvaged a par with a big putt on the sixth before making no mistake with his 20-foot birdie attempt at the seventh to move back to even par for the day.

It was at the par-five eighth, however, where Garcia made a decisive move clear of the rest of the field - recording a majestic eagle for the second day in succession, with a sweetly-struck three-wood from 270 yards leaving him a 15-foot putt that he never looked like missing.

A run of four straight pars followed, but Garcia's demeanour looked different and his final flurry of red numbers was just reward for some classy shot-making, with a 20-footer for birdie at the last greeted with elation by the partisan crowd.

"It's a special feeling, very different to anything else," Garcia said of the atmosphere in Castellon. "I only really get this (feeling) when I'm playing in the UK - at the Open or in the Ryder Cup.

As for his game, Garcia added: "There's still a couple of things there that I would like to improve on, but it is obviously getting better. The tournament isn't over though, it's going to be a tough day tomorrow I'm going to have to be very focused."

Garcia's nearest challenger at the start of the day was Alex Noren - himself already a double-winner in 2011 - but the Swede was forced into recovery mode after a difficult front nine.

A bogey at the par-five fourth was followed by a double-bogey seven at the eighth - resulting in a four-shot swing in Garcia's favour - as he went out in 39, a full seven shots more than he managed on Friday.

Noren - who led by 11 shots after 54 holes on the way to victory at the Nordea Masters this year - fought back on the back nine with two birdies before another dropped shot at the last saw him shoot a round of 73 and slump to eight-under for the tournament, likely to be too far back to challenge Garcia for the title.

Thongchai Jaidee took advantage of Noren's slump to move nearest to the runaway Spaniard, with his round of 66 moving him to 11-under for the tournament and into second place on his own - with Ross McGowan also enjoying a late birdie streak to sit 10-under after a round of 69.

Anthony Wall, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Richie Ramsay all sit nine-under, while youngFrenchman Romain Wattel thought he had played himself into something approaching contention with a fine round of 66 to move eight-under, although Garcia's late run of birdies likely leaves him too far to be in contention.

Wattel fills out the top ten along with the likes of Marcus Fraser (71) and Ricardo Gonzalez (70) while defending champion Matteo Manassero carded a level-par round of 71 to remain down the field at five-under.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.