Oliver Wilson played and talked like a Ryder Cup player in waiting today — but Nick Dougherty is poised for one last bid to catch him. The two young guns shot 68 and 69 respectively at Gleneagles and that means the year-long race for places in Nick Faldo's team goes to the final day.
While Frenchman Gregory Havret stayed out in front in the tournament — a closing birdie gave him a 69 and took him to 11-under par, one in front of England's Anthony Wall — Wilson and Dougherty had their own agendas.
Wilson, who had been on the brink of despair when he stood at six over par after eight holes on Friday, continued a superb comeback to reach three under and joint 25th with a round to go.
But Dougherty, who needs to finish second to have a chance, is tied for 16th on five under and, by his own reckoning, a closing 66 could yet bring him a first cap just four months after his mother died of a heart attack.
"I'm enjoying the challenge and I'm delighted to still have a sniff," said the 26-year-old. "Ollie's favourite, but I'll see if I can make him sweat a bit. It's a big day. The culmination of a year's worth of golf comes down to one day.
"I played wonderfully today and made nothing. The longest putt was the five-footer on the last."
That was for his fifth birdie, but once again the greens on the 2014 Ryder Cup course gave everyone nightmares.
Dougherty added: "I played like eight or nine under golf, not four under. I needed a good score to keep the dream alive and I achieved that. But I need a great one tomorrow."
Wilson is still in the driving seat and is odds-on to be cracking open the champagne with Justin Rose, Dane Soren Hansen and the two players given wild cards by captain Faldo tomorrow night.
In separate scrap for Faldo's wild cards Colin Montgomerie's hopes are hanging by a thread after a 76 for one over. There were only three worse scores all day.
Darren Clarke, who may well have done enough with his win in Holland last week, four-putted the long 12th for a double-bogey seven and finished one under.
Clarke and Paul Casey, playing in America, are the two favourites.
