Willett, Rahm lead BMW PGA Championship

Englishman Danny Willett and Spain's Jon Rahm are sharing a two-shot lead going into the final round of the BMW PGA Championship.

By Phil Casey, Australian Associated Press

Former Masters champion Danny Willett and Spain's Jon Rahm share the lead heading into the final day of the BMW PGA Championship after a dramatic finish to the third round at Wentworth.

Rahm held a two-shot lead after playing the first 16 holes in five under par and enjoyed a major slice of luck on the 17th on Saturday when his second shot was heading out of bounds before hitting a spectator.

However, the world No.6 failed to make the most of his good fortune by pitching to 10 feet and then three-putting for a six and was also just a few feet from driving out of bounds at the last.

After taking a penalty drop another bogey looked on the cards, but Rahm holed from 20 feet for an unlikely par and Willett got up and down from a greenside bunker for a birdie to match his playing partner's 68.

On 15 under par the pair held a three-shot lead over Justin Rose, Shubhankar Sharma and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, with Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Rafa Cabrera Bello two shots further back.

"Man, those last two holes made it feel a lot worse than it really was," Rahm admitted.

"I was really in control of my game and playing good.

"It was not the finish I was looking for, I might have lost a bit of focus, looking into the future instead of staying in the present but it doesn't take away from how solidly I played when the wind was bad and when I still had a fourth shot into the last with a six iron and didn't drop a shot."

Willett recovered from a bogey on the first with the aid of six birdies to remain on track for a seventh European Tour title and a first on home soil.

With bad weather forecast for Sunday, Rory McIlroy had not abandoned hope of a second remarkable victory after a superb 65 which equalled his lowest score at Wentworth and left him nine shots off the lead.