• BMW PGA Championship, Round Three

Westwood back in the hunt as Donald struggles

Despite finding the odd tough spot, Lee Westwood surged into contention © Getty Images

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• News: Donald beats Westwood to Wentworth crown
  
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Lee Westwood surged into contention at the BMW PGA Championship, on a day when the leaders came back to the pack.

Westwood looked in real danger of losing his world No. 1 ranking on Thursday, as he trailed his nearest challenger Luke Donald by eight shots. A 69 on Friday brought Westwood back within hailing distance and he produced another solid round of 69.

He started with a birdie on two and bounced back from a bogey on three which was followed by a monster birdie putt on six. A glorious iron approach on 11 yielded another birdie, which took him to four-under. A rare putting lapse on 15 saw him drop a shot but he came home with three pars to move to three-under for 54 holes - two shots adrift of co-leaders Donald and Matteo Manassero.

Donald has been metronomic in his play for most of the season, but his radar went awry during the third round at Wentworth.

Donald chipped off the front of the green on the second and it cost him a double bogey. Trouble followed at the third, as he found a bunker off the tee and it resulted in a bogey.

Normally straight as an arrow off the tee, Donald pulled the ball 30 yards left on six. His ball was deemed unplayable and after taking a drop, it led to another double bogey.

Birdies on 11, 12 and 16 allowed Donald to regroup and he found a huge slice of fortune on 17. A sliced tee shot looked destined to finish deep into the trees but it thumped off a trunk and flew into the centre of the fairway. He left himself with a long birdie chance and the ball tracked into the centre of the cup.

It allowed him to bounce off the ropes and he somehow parred 18 despite find the trees off the tee and it resulted in a 72 and a share of the lead.

Alvaro Quiros began the day alongside Donald at six-under and was well placed standing on the sixth tee, but he went on a run of bogey, bogey, par, triple bogey to sink down the leaderboard.

A monster putt for a birdie on 15 moved the Spaniard into the group at three-under but his round unravelled on 17. He pushed his approach into the trees and deemed his ball unplayable, leading him to march back up the fairway. He missed the green to the right and found a quite awful lie, which resulted in a fluffed chip and a couple of putts saw him ink an eight which dropped him down to one-under for the championship.

It really was a mixed day for Luke Donald © PA Photos

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Manassero was the third of the players who started the day at six-under and the teenage Italian was the calmest under pressure. His front nine was rocky with birdies and bogeys but while his rivals struggled, he went on a run of pars on the back nine to sit at five-under thanks to a round of 72.

Rory McIlroy made it into the weekend courtesy of a birdie on the final hole and he cashed in, as a 68 on Saturday moved him up to one-over for the championship. Four birdies had McIlroy at level heading to the 18th, but he found water with his approach which cost him a bogey six.

A number of players have been critical of the Wentworth setup and McIlroy feels organisers are being too severe.

"I hit it really well, but the wind came back into my face as soon as I hit it," he said. "I played a really good round and am very disappointed with the last, but a 68 in these conditions was a pretty good score.

"I don't know who set the course up, but some of the pin placings were just brutal. I don't know what they were thinking - people want to see us making birdies and hitting it close."

Darren Clarke had an eventful third round, as he rolled in five birdies but still signed for a 74 - which was in no small part due to an eight on the eighth and a seven on the 17th.

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