Filippo Celli & Manuel Elvira Share Wentworth Lead Before Final Round

• Filippo Celli and Manuel Elvira share the 54-hole lead BMW PGA Championship at 13-under.
• JJ Spaun, Alejandro del Rey and Johannes Veerman are one shot behind at Wentworth Club.
• Rory McIlroy closed birdie-eagle to reach 11-under, two strokes off the lead.

Filippo Celli and Manuel Elvira will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the BMW PGA Championship after both birdied Wentworth Club’s 18th hole on Saturday.

The playing partners reached 13-under on the West Course, with Celli signing for a 69 and Elvira returning a 68. They will play together again on Sunday as each pursues a first DP World Tour victory at the season’s third Rolex Series event.

Major champion JJ Spaun shares third place with Alejandro del Rey and Johannes Veerman on 12-under. Rory McIlroy’s birdie-eagle finish lifted him to 11-under alongside Adam Scott, Davis Bryant, Joaquín Niemann and Kristoffer Reitan.

The leaderboard remains tight, with 25 players within five shots. McIlroy, Ryan Fox, Aaron Rai and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the major winners still in contention.

Celli stays patient in difficult conditions

Celli began the third round two shots behind halfway leader Ryan Gerard, but dropped a shot at the opening hole before making ten consecutive pars.

The 26-year-old Italian finally made his first birdie at the par-5 12th. A long putt brought another gain at the 13th, while a precise approach into the 16th helped him move further up the leaderboard.

Celli then received a fortunate break at the closing hole. His second shot struck the wooden edge beside the water and deflected into a bunker, from where he got up and down for birdie.

“I’m very happy because today it was very tough,” Celli said. “It was windy, tricky out there. So I’m happy how I handled life’s situation out there. Sometimes the wind changed a bit so it wasn’t easy.”

Celli earned the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The 2022 Open Championship. He gained his DP World Tour card through Qualifying School in 2023, then returned via the HotelPlanner Tour last year after losing his playing rights.

Now 116th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, he will enter the final round with his best opportunity yet to win on Tour.

“I can’t wait, honestly, because it’s going to be very good,” Celli said. “I will try to be in the present, you know, and try to enjoy every single minute and see what happens.”

Del Rey and Veerman charge with 64s

Gerard started Saturday with a two-shot advantage after his bogey-free second-round 65, but four dropped shots across the front nine sent him towards a 75.

Del Rey took advantage with a bogey-free 64. He turned in 32 after birdies at the 4th, 5h and 7th, then collected five more gains on the back nine, including one at the 18th.

Veerman matched that score without a bogey. The American birdied the 2nd and 3d holes, made eagle from 22 feet at the 4th and converted another eagle putt from 13 feet on the 17th before birdieing the last.

Spaun recorded five birdies and one bogey in a 68. McIlroy shot 69, Bryant and Niemann returned 67s, and Scott remained two behind after a 71.

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Severe weather shortened the Ladies European Tour event to 54 holes, leaving Heath one round from her maiden title as Dorota Zalewska surged into contention.

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