Mikael Lundberg produced a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 in difficult conditions to take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Staysure English Legends at Chart Hills.

The Swede reached 12-under for the championship, with overnight leader Stephen Gallacher alone in second place after a 70 moved him to 9-under. Simon Griffiths and Maarten Lafeber share third at 4-under, while Andrew Marshall is fifth on 3-under.

Gusty winds and spells of heavy rain tested the field in Kent, where only nine players completed the second round under par for the tournament.

Lundberg races clear with opening birdie run

Lundberg began two behind Gallacher, who had opened with a flawless 65, but quickly took control by making five birdies across his first six holes.

He reached the turn in 31 before converting further birdie chances at the 13th and 14th. A five-foot par putt at the 18th completed a clean card and the lowest round of the day.

“Extremely pleased. What can you say? I started off making a lot of nice putts, which makes the game so much easier,” Lundberg said. “After that, it was just trying not to make any mistakes. Today it just felt like it was on, so I tried to stay out of the way.”

The three-time DP World Tour winner is seeking his first Staysure Legends Tour title. He finished runner-up at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship earlier in August and fifth at the Portugal Invitational.

“It’s another day at work,” Lundberg said of Sunday’s final round. “You try to stick to the things that you do and keep it as simple as possible.”

Gallacher stays within three shots

Gallacher mixed three front-nine birdies with bogeys at the 2nd and 8th, then dropped another shot at the 11th. Back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 steadied his round before a chip to one foot secured par at the last.

The Scot, a four-time DP World Tour winner and member of Europe’s victorious 2014 Ryder Cup team, is also chasing his first Legends Tour victory. A win would help him close the Order of Merit gap to absent leader Jamie Donaldson.

Griffiths made the day’s other major move, climbing from 2-over to 4-under with a 66. The Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy winner matched Lundberg’s fast start with five birdies in six holes, then gained further shots at 13 and 16.

Westwood falls back over closing holes

Lee Westwood remained in contention for much of his first Staysure Legends Tour appearance, but played the final three holes in 4-over. He bogeyed the 16th, found water and made double bogey at the island-green 17th, then dropped another shot at 18 for a 75 and two-under total.

“I didn’t play very well,” Westwood said. “The conditions were tough, so you had to be playing well. I didn’t do too badly, but then I just had a terrible finish.”

Westwood described Lundberg’s 65 as “a hell of a round in these conditions”, leaving the Swede with a clear advantage over Gallacher when the final round begins on Sunday.

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