Andy DevaneyManuel Elvira and Filippo Celli will head into Sunday tied at the top of the BMW PGA Championship after both birdied Wentworth’s 18th to move one clear of the chasing pack.
Manuel Elvira looked for a moment as though he had produced the perfect final flourish to take sole control of the BMW PGA Championship.
From 97 yards on Wentworth’s 18th, the Spaniard fired a superb third shot into the par-five closing hole and left himself a tap-in birdie to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Then his playing partner Filippo Celli answered.
The Italian also made birdie at the last, ensuring the pair walked off the 18th together at the summit and one shot clear of the pack heading into what now promises to be a seriously lively Sunday.
For most of Saturday, Wentworth’s leaderboard had been packed tighter than a clubhouse bar after last orders. Elvira and Celli finally created a little daylight.
Just not from each other.
Elvira delivers from 97 yards
Elvira had already passed up two good birdie chances on the closing stretch.
He missed from just under 15 feet at the 16th before another excellent opportunity slipped by at the par-five 17th, where his effort from inside seven feet stayed out.
Those misses might have been costly.
Instead, he saved his sharpest piece of work for the final hole.
With 97 yards remaining for his third shot into the 18th, Elvira produced a beautifully judged approach and left himself little more than a formality for birdie.
For a few moments, it had the look of the shot that would send him into the final round alone at the top.
Celli had other plans.
Celli refuses to let Elvira escape
Playing alongside Elvira, Filippo Celli had spent the day keeping himself firmly in the argument.
He had already forced his way into a share of the lead earlier in the round and arrived at the 18th knowing another birdie would keep him alongside the Spaniard.
But first, he needed a little help from the golfing gods.
Celli’s approach looked to be heading dangerously towards the water, only for the errant shot to catch the camber close to the edge of the hazard and take a hugely fortunate bounce across and into the bunker.
It was the sort of break that can change a tournament.
Having escaped what could easily have been a costly mistake, Celli made the most of his reprieve. He recovered from the sand and completed the birdie, matching Elvira and ensuring the pair walked off the 18th together at the top of the leaderboard.
Celli’s closing birdie meant the playing partners finished Saturday exactly where they had spent much of the afternoon — side by side.
This time, however, they had put a shot between themselves and everyone else.
That is not much breathing space around Wentworth, but it is enough to make Sunday’s final round very interesting indeed.
Del Rey and Veerman remain firmly in touch
Alejandro Del Rey and Johannes Veerman had earlier established themselves at the top with matching rounds of 64.
Del Rey birdied the 18th to set the clubhouse target, while Veerman almost went one better when his chip for eagle at the last shaved the edge before he tapped in for birdie.
Their work ensured Elvira and Celli had no margin for error late in the day.
Both responded.
The result is a leaderboard that remains crowded, but with Elvira and Celli now holding the narrowest possible advantage over the chasing group.
Elvira continues to defy expectations
Elvira’s position remains one of the standout stories of the championship.
He arrived at Wentworth ranked No. 294 in the world and without a finish better than 44th in his previous five worldwide starts.
None of that looks particularly relevant now.
Rather than fading as the pressure increased, he stayed involved throughout the closing stretch and then produced his best approach when it mattered most on the 18th.
Celli, meanwhile, showed the same sort of nerve by matching him with birdie and refusing to surrender the lead.
Two players. Same final group. Same score.
That has set up a rather convenient Sunday storyline.
McIlroy still lurking behind
The leaders will not have to look far down the board to find danger.
Rory McIlroy forced himself back into the championship with a spectacular closing eagle at the 18th, completing a third-round 69 and keeping himself within striking distance.
Matt Wallace, Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Åberg have also remained in the broader conversation during a day when the leaderboard repeatedly shifted.
Nobody is safely away.
Elvira and Celli simply have the best starting position.
Sunday is set for a proper Wentworth showdown
Saturday ended with exactly the sort of tension a tournament wants.
Elvira looked to have snatched the outright lead with a brilliant wedge from 97 yards.
Celli immediately answered with birdie of his own.
Now the two playing partners lead the field by one heading into the final round, with a queue of high-quality challengers waiting behind them.
There is precious little room for a loose swing, a cold putter or a moment’s hesitation.
Sunday at Wentworth is shaping up to be one hot final showdown.
