BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS LOOKS A SHOO-IN FOR GREAT DANE

THOMAS BJORN LEADS BY FIVE
 EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS REPORT BY PAUL SYME
Thomas Björn set a new tournament record of consecutive birdies en route to establishing a five- shot lead on the third day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth
 The great Dane, who opened with a double bogey six, notched six straight birdies from the 11th hole before closing with his eighth gain of the day to sign for a round of 67 and a 15 under par aggregate total.
 Björn’s nearest challenger is two-time BMW PGA champion Luke Donald, who notched two birdies and an eagle at the fourth hole to move to ten under par, one stroke clear of Shane Lowry (73).
 Lowry’s fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy is currently in a share of fourth place with Joost Luiten after the duo carded respective rounds of 69 and 67.
 Key quotes  
Thomas Björn “Putts just started dropping, and all of a sudden you get in that frame of mind, and everything just goes your way. I even hit a poor tee shot on 17 and got away with it. 
 “So it just became one of those days where things roll your way. I’m proud of the way I handled my round. To be three over after five holes and then shoot 67 was pretty good. I was very proud of my determination and the way I stayed with my golf today.” 
Luke Donald “It was-stress free. It probably wasn’t that interesting to watch at home, but any time you play this course without making any mistakes, that’s fun. I had some chances around the middle of my round but just didn’t quite get the putts in, and didn’t hit my irons really close enough. “Obviously to birdie the last two, though, was a big momentum shift for me. It got me into the last group tomorrow, which is where I want to be.”
 Shane Lowry “I’m disappointed, but it could have been a lot worse. I didn’t play great today. I hit some poor drives, and just didn’t feel comfortable out there. My alignment felt a bit off and I just didn’t feel that comfortable, simple as that. 
“But I still have half a chance, and if you’d have given me this position going into tomorrow on Wednesday, I would have taken your hand off, so I can’t really complain.” 
Rory McIlroy “It’s a golf course that I’ve always liked. I like the layout of it, but it can sometimes play a little bit tricky because of the conditions. “But with the golf course being soft, I think I can play it a little bit better. It’s not a course that I’ve had much success on in the past, but I feel like I’m handling myself pretty well around it this week.” Talking points 
 Thomas Björn’s six consecutive birdies set a new record for the BMW PGA Championship. He also becomes the first player in the history of the BMW PGA Championship to shoot 30 on the back nine at Wentworth Club on two occasions. 
THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD
 201 T Björn (Den) 62 72 67
206 L Donald (Eng) 71 67 68
207 S Lowry (Irl) 64 70 73
208 J Luiten (Ned) 70 71 67, R McIlroy (NIr) 68 71 69, 209 P Larrazábal (Esp) 69 71 69
210 H Stenson (Swe) 68 71 71, A Sullivan (Eng) 70 71 69, T Aiken (RSA) 68 72 70, F Molinari (Ita) 71 74 65, J Donaldson (Wal) 73 69 68, E Pepperell (Eng) 69 73 68, A Wall (Eng) 67 76 67, C Doak (Sco) 69 72 69
211 J Blixt (Swe) 68 71 72, G Stal (Fra) 66 76 69, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 65 73 73
212 F Zanotti (Par) 67 72 73, M Siem (Ger) 69 71 72, M Kaymer (Ger) 68 75 69, S Dyson (Eng) 69 74 69,
 213 S Gallacher (Sco) 70 75 68, M Foster (Eng) 72 71 70, M Hooper (Eng) 71 71 71, S Benson (Eng) 71 69 73, R Green (Aus) 70 73 70, M Warren (Sco) 73 69 71, J Rose (Eng) 70 73 70
214 R Finch (Eng) 71 72 71, A Hansen (Den) 71 69 74, D Horsey (Eng) 68 76 70, T Olesen (Den) 71 73 70, C Wood (Eng) 73 72 69, A Levy (Fra) 71 73 70, L Westwood (Eng) 71 71 72
215 G Coetzee (RSA) 75 70 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 70 75 70, S Thornton (Irl) 74 68 73, G Havret (Fra) 69 76 70, A Quiros (Esp) 73 72 70, B Wiesberger (Aut) 70 71 74, T Hatton (Eng) 75 70 70
216 M Jiménez (Esp) 72 72 72, R Ramsay (Sco) 70 72 74, I Poulter (Eng) 70 72 74, P Lawrie (Sco) 72 71 73, R Karlsson (Swe) 74 70 72, T Lewis (Eng) 73 72 71
217 J Campillo (Esp) 73 73 71, G Storm (Eng) 71 73 73, B Grace (RSA) 70 75 72, C Del Moral (Esp) 71 75 71, E Molinari (Ita) 75 70 72
218 P Waring (Eng) 72 72 74, R Rock (Eng) 73 73 72, G Bourdy (Fra) 72 73 73, R Kakko (Fin) 75 71 72, N Colsaerts (Bel) 77 69 72, D Willett (Eng) 73 73 72, S Hansen (Den) 73 72 73
219 J Carlsson (Swe) 71 75 73, R Derksen (Ned) 70 76 73, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 71 77, T Jaidee (Tha) 72 73 74, R Wattel (Fra) 72 74 73, P Harrington (Irl) 69 76 74
220 R Santos (Por) 72 69 79, D McGrane (Irl) 71 75 74, A Otaegui (Esp) 72 73 75, D Huizing (Ned) 72 74 74
221 E De La Riva (Esp) 71 72 78
223 P Hanson (Swe) 71 72 80
225 K Broberg (Swe) 73 72 80, 228 O Fisher (Eng) 69 75 84

 EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS