Harrington inches ahead in Tour clincher

Padraig Harrington takes a one-stroke lead over Australian Adam Scott and Dane Steen Tinning into the final round of the Telefonica Madrid Open today as he inches his way to a win that would make him Europe's No 1 golfer.

On a Club de Campo course which has already witnessed two of his five European Tour victories, the Ryder Cup Irishman fired a 66 to reach the 54-hole mark on the 16-under-par total of 197. But it was far from plain sailing. After a bogey six at the long 14th, Harrington trailed Scott by three. While he came back with two birdies, however, the 22-year-old Australian finished with two bogeys.

Harrington is also five clear of South African Retief Goosen, the man he trails by £34,000 in the race to be Europe's leading money-winner this season. "I would not say I am buzzing with confidence," admitted Harrington. "My timing was all out on the back nine, but those two putts were very timely. They made the round, to be honest. I'm not sure whether rest or practice is the best thing to do now, but I'm going out there with a great chance to win."

If he does triumph, Harrington will take at least a £15,000 advantage into the final two events of the Tour season – and Goosen is not playing the first of them, in Italy next week.

"On the front nine I had the opportunity to maybe put some space between me and the field," added one of Europe's Belfry heroes. "After the 10th, though, I was maybe a little bit defensive at times – certainly not as aggressive as I had been." He hit his second into the trees at the 14th and then caught a branch with his third.

The 40-year-old Steen Tinning had earlier emerged from an injury nightmare to set up the chance of a second Tour title when he produced a scintillating nine-under-par 62 to storm to within a stroke of the then leader, Scott. Tinning, whose only victory came at the 2000 Wales Open, hit nine birdies to reach a 15-under-par total of 198.

Since winning at Celtic Manor, the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup, Tinning's career has taken a nosedive. Last September he even thought he might have to retire because his back was so bad.

"I finished with three birdies on the Sunday at the BMW International and I thought they would be my last on the European Tour, because of my back. I was spending too much time in the physio wagon and not on the practice range.

"So I decided to take four months off and do serious back training to get it right. I spent from September last year to mid-January doing thousands of tedious repetitions with small weights. Now I play no more than three weeks in a row and my back's really strong again."

Lee Westwood's season showed further evidence of an upsurge when he fired a round of 66 to finish the day at 13 under par, assisted by an eagle at the fourth and birdies at the 15th and 18th. The 49-year-old Ryder Cup-winning captain, Sam Torrance, was among those sharing the lead after four holes of his third round, but he slipped back to nine under by the close.