Defending champion Matt Wallace two shots off lead after BMW International Open third round

Following rounds of 69 and 68, the Moor Park Golf Club honorary member shot another 68 to end the third round on 11-under-par and in a tie for fourth place, two shots behind leader Jordan Smith.

Despite his four-under-par round though, the 29-year-old wasn’t happy about some aspects of his game.

“That wasn’t pretty today,” Wallace told the European Tour website. “I wasn’t playing from the fairway a lot but I shot better than I did yesterday, so it’s a funny game. It’s a good position, we’re in contention.

“I played great yesterday so I need to do something similar to that and hole the putts.”

Starting the day on seven-under, the world number 24 shook off a dropped shot on the first with a run of three successive birdies from the fifth to the seventh to turn in 34.

Wallace picked up another shot at the 11th, made a second bogey of the day at 13 before picking up his fifth and sixth birdies of the round at 16 and 18 to come home in 34 for the third day running.

The Hillingdon-born player sits alongside Cristiaan Bezuidenhout on 11-under, with Matt Fitzpatrick and Matthias Schwab in a tie for second going into the final 18 holes.

Wallace had moved to the the top of the Race to Dubai rankings following his tie for 12th place in last week's US Open at Pebble Beach.

Moor Park-attached professional Callum Shinkwin is also in the mix for a high finish at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried after following up successive rounds of 69 with a 70, leaving him in a tie for 11th on eight-under.

The Watford-born 26-year-old went out in a level par 36 after birdies on the fourth and fifth were cancelled out by dropped shots on the third and seventh.

Shinkwin made a strong start to the back nine though, with birdies at 10 and 11 and he was on track to start the final round inside the top 10 after picking up another shot on 16, only to bogey the last.