Noren & Saddier leading after 54-holes

Alex Noren fired six birdies and two bogeys before closing with an eagle at the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and a share of the BMW PGA Championship lead at 15-under.

“It’s been a wonderful three days, a lot of fun out there,” said Noren. I was a little bit angry after my unforced bogey on the 13th – the middle of the fairway, in between clubs and tried to hit a hard nine and just duffed it.

“And then I played better coming in, and then holed a long one on the 16th. When you get a little bit of fortune like that, it kind of makes 17 and 18 easier.

“I’m going to work a little bit with my coach now and pick out a few shots that I didn’t feel comfortable over and do some putting stuff, and just get prepared for tomorrow with a clear mind what to do.”

The Swede, who won the BMW PGA Championship in 2017, shares the course record.

France’s Adrien Saddier had earlier closed with a 65 having made a single bogey to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

“I think it will be another day at the office,” he said of his approach to the final round.

“Just focus on myself and my game. Try to hit a lot of fairways and greens, and we’ll see if the putts drop tomorrow.

“For sure it would be good [to win]. It’s the biggest event of the year, but there’s a lot of golf left to play and we’ll see tomorrow what happens.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton stayed bogey-free on Saturday and signed for a 64 to take solo third place at 13-under.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland signed for a 71 and lies in fourth at 12-under having made five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey at the par-5 12th.

Darren Fichardt of South Africa made six birdies and two bogeys for a 68 and rounds out the top-5 at 11-under.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama who held the overnight lead fired four birdies, one bogey, double bogeys at the par-5 4th and par-4 13th as well as a triple bogey at the par-4 9th for a 4-over 76. He currently lies in T20 at 8-under.

Race to Dubai Rankings leader Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made seven birdies, one bogey and double bogeys at the par-4 9th and par-5 17th to close with a 70 and a share of 53rd place at 5-under.

Following the weather delay on Thursday there will be a third-round cut for the first time in almost three years on the DP World Tour.

Related: Looking for a repeat of Rome

Luke Donald announced the completed European Team roster on Monday.

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.