EUROPEAN

• Havret birdies last to stay in front at Gleneagles

  
  

  Perthshire, Scotland (Sports Network) - Gregory Havret birdied the last hole Saturday to polish off a four-under 69 and stay atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

  Havret finished 54 holes at 11-under 208 and is one clear of Anthony Wall.

  Wall rattled off six consecutive birdies on his back nine, then birdied 18 to shoot an impressive eight-under 65 in round three. He is in the final group at minus-10.

  Soren Hansen all but secured his Ryder Cup spot on Saturday. He shot a five- under 68 and is tied for third place with Ricardo Gonzalez (67), David Howell (68), Marcel Siem (66) and Lee Westwood (66). The group finished at nine-under 210.

  Hansen was in the ninth spot and after the completion of this championship, the European Ryder Cup team will be finalized. Nick Faldo will make his two picks after play and there is only one possible chance for the team to change.

  Nick Dougherty is five-under for the tournament and would need a win or a second to surge past Oliver Wilson into 10th. Wilson shot a five-under 68 on Saturday and is tied for 25th place.

  "It's all meant a lot to me," said Dougherty.

  "It is a strain. I feel emotional about everything. My desire is to make the team. I have nothing to lose." Faldo's picks should provide the only drama. Three of his possible picks -- Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Carl Pettersson -- are playing in the United States on the PGA Tour.

  Darren Clarke, last week's winner at the KLM Open, only managed an even-par 73 on Saturday and is tied for 38th place at minus-one. He is probably still on Faldo's radar for a spot on his team at Valhalla in a few weeks.

  Colin Montgomerie's streak of eight straight Ryder Cups is in serious jeopardy.

  He struggled to a three-over 76 on Saturday and fell into a tie for 54th at plus-one.

  Havret won't make the Ryder Cup, but would like his third European Tour victory on Sunday.

  He parred the first hole on Saturday, but chipped in from the side of the green for an eagle at the par-five second. Havret parred the remaining holes on the front, including a gutsy six-footer at seven, until a two-putt birdie at the par-five ninth.

  After a pair of pars at 10 and 11, Havret two-putted from 20 feet for a birdie at the par-five 12th. He came up short with his approach at 13 and missed a nine-footer for par, but got the stroke back with a birdie at the driveable, par-four 14th.

  The 15th hole was a problem for Havret on Friday, when he made double-bogey. It didn't get any better for the Frenchman on Saturday.

  He drove into a bunker at the par-four hole and finally found himself with 30 feet from the fringe to save par. Havret ran his par putt almost four feet past the hole and he missed the comebacker. He walked off with a double-bogey and fell out of the lead thanks to Wall's amazing run.

  "I was quite upset obviously after the 15th, but I don't blame myself," admitted Havret. "It's not an easy hole." Wall was one-under through his first 10 holes, but went on an amazing run after a bogey at 10. He birdied six in a row from the 11th to get to nine- under par for the championship.

  Wall parred the 17th, but birdied the last to get into the clubhouse at minus-10.

  "It doesn't happen very often," said Wall, who will be looking for his second win on the European Tour and first since 2000. "I kept doing what I've been doing all week." Havret was one behind, but drew even thanks to a birdie at the par-five 16th. He hit a great tee ball to 15 feet at the par-three 17th, but failed to capitalize.

  At the par-five closing hole, Havret came up short of the putting surface with his second, He chipped to seven feet and drained the birdie putt to take sole possession of the lead -- his first piece of the 54-hole lead in four years.

  "It's going to be a big hunt tomorrow, especially with those Ryder Cup guys," acknowledged Havret."I heard the weather will be bad, but we'll see. It's going to be quite open, for sure." Bradley Dredge (70), Justin Rose (67) and Graeme Storm (68) share eighth place at eight-under 211.

  08/30 14:04:44 ET