Ryder Cup battle at Johnny Walker Championship

Frenchman Gregory Havret held onto the lead at the 2008 Johnny Walker Championship on Saturday, carding a round of 69 to go 10 under for the tournament.

While Havret looked steady going into the final day of the Johnny Walker Championship, there was plenty of intrigue further back in the field as several Ryder Cup hopefuls jockeyed for position ahead of Nick Faldo's team announcement on Sunday.

Barring a final round meltdown, Justin Rose looks to have secured a Ryder Cup position after finishing the third round on 8 under. Owen Wilson, however, remains under threat from a resurgent Nick Dougherty.

Wilson currently occupies the 10th and final automatic qualifying position on the Ryder Cup points table, but could be dumped out of the qualifying zone if Dougherty finishes in the top 2.

Dougherty is currently on 5 under for the tournament, 3 shots off the lead. The Liverpudlian has been impressive in the last two rounds, coming back from a disastrous first round to remain in contention for a Ryder Cup place.

“I'm enjoying the challenge and I'm delighted to still have a sniff," Dougherty said at the close of the third round. "Ollie's favourite, but I'll see if I can make him sweat a bit. It's a big day. The culmination of a year's worth of golf comes down to one day.”