Fisher tightens grip in European Open

(CNN) -- Ross Fisher conjured up the only birdie of the day at the testing 471-yard 18th hole and moved into a three-stroke lead after the third round of the European Open, at The London Club, in Kent.

It gave him a round of 69, to follow his course record 63 and a 68, and left him on 16-under-par 200.

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is second, after driving into the lake at the last hole. His bogey gave him a 71 and his 203 put him three ahead of South African David Frost who, at three months short of 48, is bidding to become the European Tour's oldest winner.

Frost was on target to become the only player in the field to get round in the gusty conditions without dropping a shot when he bogeyed the last.

The 18th was a constant source of trouble, with Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose all suffering McDowell's fate by finding the water.

Fisher, however, hit a superb drive and sent his approach eight feet from the hole.

Sergio Garcia was going well when he played the first six holes in one under par, but he came home in 39, suffering a double bogey six on the 13th where a photographer disturbed him as he drove.

The Spaniard shanked the ball into knee-high rough.

Montgomerie was nine under for the tournament with three holes to play but bogeyed them all, pulling his drive into the lake at the last.

He told reporters: "I'm not the story - I think you'll find I'm not the story," and threw his ball into a dustbin.

Harrington, who only made the cut with a stroke to spare moved up to 14th with a 69. He went out in 31 and saw his name on the leaderboard before bogeying three of the next five holes.

He hit back with an eagle on the 15th but drove into the lake at the last.

He declared: "The game is in far better shape than at any stage last year."

In a fortnight he will defend the British Open title.

Rose, last year's European number one, slumped to 77 and dropped to 60th. After driving into the water at the final hole he then fluffed a chip into a bunker short of the green and had a triple bogey seven.