THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD:
-15 A Noren (Swe) -13 C Schwartzel (SA) -12 B Dredge (Wal) -11 MA Jimenez (Sp), R McGowan (Eng), A Que (Phi) Selected others: -6 C Wood (Eng) -5 R McIlroy (NI) -2 L Westwood (Eng)

Dredge is just three shots off the lead in Switzerland

Welshman Bradley Dredge stayed in the hunt at the European Masters with a three-under-par 68 to lie three shots adrift going into the final round.

Swede Alexander Noren surged into the lead in Switzerland with a superb 63 to finish two shots ahead on 15 under par.

South Africa's Charl Schwartzel is the closest challenger following his six-under 65, while Dredge hit five birdies in his round to finish on 12 under.

England's Ross McGowan and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez are on 11 under.

One of the biggest moves of the day came from another Englishman Chris Wood, the Bristol 21-year-old who was fifth in last year's Open as an amateur and then joint third at Turnberry in July.

Wood began the day joint 30th but ended it joint sixth on 10 under after a 65, five shots off the lead.

Overnight leader Thomas Aiken suffered a disastrous day, a four-over-par 75 leaving him nine shots adrift.

The greens are good, but as soon as you start missing you start forcing them Alexander Noren

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, needing to win to go to the top of the Tour money list, had 33 putts in a 70 which left him 10 shots back on five under.

England's Lee Westwood, also with ambitions of finishing the season as number one, fared even worse.

He three-putted the 14th, four-putted the 15th - both for bogey sixes - and then spun his approach to the last into the water.

That led to another dropped shot, an inward 40 and a 73 which sent him tumbling to 53rd place on only two under.

That was in sharp contrast to Noren, who enjoyed six birdies and an eagle, with only one bogey, in his 63.

"I played pretty much the same as yesterday but was seven shots different, and that was pretty much seven putts different," said the Swede.

I think that a 60 or even 59 is on around here Bradley Dredge

"The greens are good, but as soon as you start missing you start forcing them. Today I was calmer and 'letting it happen' - as the mental coaches would say."

Dredge believes favourable conditions at Crans-sur-Sierre means someone could produce an extremely low final round to win on Sunday.

"I think that a 60 or even 59 is on around here, I really do," he said.

"The greens are soft, the weather is perfect, the greens are good to putt on - so why not?

"If you drive the ball well around here you have loads of wedge shots into the greens. The par-fives are almost all reachable, so there is a really low score out there.

"I wasn't hitting it great today, but that made the 68 all the more satisfying. I've kept myself in it."

Jamie Spence shot a closing 60 to won at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1992, and this week has already seen a 62 from Australian Brett Rumford and 63s from England's Simon Dyson and current leader Noren.

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