TWO third-round double bogeys sent Peter Whiteford tumbling to nine shots off the pace at the Nordea Masters in Stockholm, Sweden.
The 32-year-old Scot, beaten in a play-off at the Ballantine's Championship in Korea five weeks ago, was lurking menacingly in third place at the halfway stage following a rousing 63 in round two.
But he took 10 shots more to negotiate his way round the Bro Hof Slott course yesterday as his title charge came to a shuddering halt.
Whiteford's one-over 73 gave him a nine-under aggregate of 207 and left him in a share of 11th, as Finland's Mikko Ilonen took up the running with a 65 for 198.
Whiteford, from Fife, was swiftly on the back foot with a double-bogey six on the second, but despite repairing the damage with a pair of birdies and an eagle at the 12th, he dropped another two shots on the par-3 16th to drop back.
Craig Lee, fourth at the Madeira Islands Open a fortnight ago, hauled his way into the top 20 with a spirited 67 for 209.
The Stirling man made a telling thrust around the turn, with birdies at the seventh, eight, ninth and 10th to jump 44 places up the order. Lee was joined on the seven-under mark by Paul Lawrie, who packed eight birdies into a 68, but smudged his card with his third double-bogey of the week.
As overnight leader Matteo Manassero slipped to a share of third after a 71, Ilonen carded five birdies and an eagle to move two strokes clear of Sweden's Alexander Noren (64) in second place. BMW PGA Championship winner Manassero is tied with another Swede, Jonas Blixt, four shots off the pace.
Ilonen was a runner-up in China and Morocco recently and started the day two behind Manassero.However, the Finn pulled a shot back early on with a birdie on the second hole with a 12ft putt and further gains at the sixth and ninth edged him ahead of the Italian, who turned in a level par on the front nine after a birdie on the ninth cancelled out a bogey at the fifth.
Ilonen will end a six-year wait for a third European Tour title if he manages to stay out in front after today's final round.
Noren, who won the event in 2011, holed an incredible 80ft putt on the fourth to claim one of his seven birdies in a round which also saw him bag an eagle on the ninth.
Earlier, Bernd Wiesberger powered up the leaderboard with an eight-under-par round of 64 to finish the day in three-way tie for sixth with Thomas Bjorn and Joost Luiten, one stroke behind Rikard Karlberg who was fifth on 12 under.
England's Paul Casey had a poor third round of 77 to put him five over for the day and three over par in total. Casey shot five bogeys and one double bogey, with birdies on the seventh and 13th holes scant consolation on a difficult day.
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