The 25-year-old Spaniard, playing in just his 17th European Tour event, said having more famous names breathing down his neck just added to his motivation for the final round.

"I saw the names Monty and Westwood - I love to shoot lower than those," he said.

"I'm not the star of the tournament. I came from the pre-qualifying. There are 156 players and I am maybe the 150th best, but that's not a problem for me.

"If I play like I did today it's going to be fun. I hit the ball great."

At the midway point of his round of 68, Montgomerie was clear in second place.

He reached the turn in 33 and birdied the 10th and 14th, before shots into the long grass at the next two holes cost him bogeys.

The 45-year-old Scot is not in the leading 40 positions on the European Ryder Cup table, but victory here could propel him into one of the top 10 automatic spots.

A year ago he finished third in the same event and then went on to win the European Open, a title he defends next week.

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