• Johnnie Walker Championship, Round Three

Dyson shows grit to stay in the hunt

Simon Dyson can still make the Ryder Cup automatically but he needs to win the Johnnie Walker Championship to stand any chance © Getty Images

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Simon Dyson kept his Ryder Cup ambitions alive with a tenacious showing in the third round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, while the Molinari brothers Francesco and Edoardo sit first and second respectively at the top of the leaderboard.

Desperate to secure a place in Colin Montgomerie's Europe team, Dyson got off to an assured start on the third day to raise hopes of playing in his first Ryder Cup.

A birdie at the par-five second helped settle the nerves, before another at the seventh ended a run of four straight pars. Knowing only a win will suffice, Dyson was understandably a little reluctant to go for too much, as a poor third round would all but end his Ryder Cup dreams.

After hitting the turn in 34, a bogey at the 10th came at a bad time. He reeled off five consecutive pars to steady the ship but birdies remained a rarity before he ended his drought at the 16th. He safely negotiated pars on his final two holes to end the day on eight-under-par - a remarkable effort considering the immense pressure he is under.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, currently occupying the ninth and final automatic berth for the Europe team, will hang onto his spot as long as he finishes in the top nine. But, after an encouraging outward nine, the Spaniard hit some trouble with three bogeys in a row, before he showed his class to cancel them out with three late birdies to post a respectable 71.

The other Ryder Cup hopeful, Alvaro Quiros, has virtually ruled himself out of the running after shooting a one-over-par 73. The big-hitting Spaniard is in a win-or-bust situation but, with Jimenez well-placed, not even an unlikely victory would be enough to secure him a spot for the clash at Celtic Manor.

Edoardo Molinari, ranked No. 21 in the world, remained on course for his second title of the season with a positive 69. Sibling Francesco, who was guaranteed a place on the Europe team when Ross McGowan withdrew with injury, fared one shot better with a 69 to lead by a shot with a round to play.

First round leader Richard Finch was dogged by inconsistency but still showed glimpses of his best golf. His first nine holes brought him five pars, two birdies, a hole in one and a bogey to illustrate his unpredictability perfectly. His back nine did not produce another mesmerising hole in one but he traded further birdies and bogeys to sign for a two-under-par 70.

Ireland's Damien McGrane had threatened to challenge for the lead after turning in a stirring performance on the front nine. An eagle at the second sent him on his way and he picked up shots at the sixth and ninth to head down the stretch with good momentum.

Another birdie at 11 was thoroughly deserved but three bogeys, including two on his last three holes would have left a sour taste in the mouth in an otherwise brilliant 70.

His compatriot Simon Thornton also enjoyed a rewarding day, after he posted a faultless five-under 67. Three birdies on the way in followed two on the front nine and, with no bogeys to tarnish his card, Thornton will fancy his chances of at least making a top-three finish on Sunday.

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