GREAT DANE’S DREAM TONIC
Olesen puts injury nightmare to bed
THORBJORN OLESEN is threatening to turn his season around in the space of just four days after giving himself a threeshot cushion in the £3.3 million Dunhill Links Championship.
The 25-year-old Dane has had a miserable time of it since undergoing surgery on his left wrist earlier in the year.
He has had to endure a string of missed cuts, making only three in 13 attempts since finishing second in the Mauritius Open in May after being out for three months.
But Olesen’s third-round 65 at the Old Course in St Andrews yesterday moved him to 17 under par ahead of Germany’s Lorian Fritsch, who posted a 64 at Kingsbarns.
The pick of a bunch of key putts was his 30-foot effort at the last which outdid Open champion Zach Johnson’s from a similar position to force his way into a play-off three months ago.
Olesen must have feared the worst after landing in the water at the first when his ball spun back into the Swilcan Burn.
But the two-time European Tour winner quickly recovered his composure to make a mockery of his lowly position of 124th in the Race to Dubai.
Prior to this week, Olesen, who led the Scottish Open in July with an opening 63 before cashing out at halfway as the result of a 77, was in danger of losing his card.
But instead of preparing for a possible trip to Tour School at the end of next month, he is eyeing the £523,000 top prize. He said: ‘I felt comfortable and holed some great putts. I don’t know what sort of score it’s going to take to win, but I’m in a nice position.
‘I wasn’t thinking about the money-list, just about winning the tournament, although I know it will be a battle tomorrow.’
Olesen played with Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, but he insisted: ‘That wasn’t on my mind (a Ryder place). I was just trying to play well to put myself in a strong position.’
Fearful flyer Fritsch, who travels everywhere by car, has a one-shot lead over Frenchman Benjamin Herbert. Edinburgh’s David Drysdale overcame the calf injury that threatened to end his season prematurely to grab a share of 13th spot.
The 40-year-old posted a 66 at Kingsbarns to move to 10 under and take a step closer to securing his card for next season.
Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher is one further back with a 68, while Marc Warren and Scott Jamieson are eight and seven under, respectively, after rounds of 68 and 69.