Playing on greens he rates the worst of the year, Sweden’s Peter Hedblom takes a one-shot lead into the final day of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. The Irish challenge, however, fell by the wayside as Jonathan Caldwell slumped to a 76 to drop back to two-under-par.

Fellow Ulsterman Gareth Maybin also had a day to forget, carding a 78 to drop to four over. Gary Murphy and Damien McGrane are one under after a 73 and 71 respectively.

Hedblom, loser of a play-off in Holland last week, fired a third round 68 to overtake former Open champion Paul Lawrie, whose bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes led to a one over 73.

They are eight under par and seven under with 18 holes to play and Hedblom said: “The scoring would be much lower if the greens were better.

“You know you’re going to miss some short ones and you just need to keep cool - but it’s tough.”

His only dropped shot came on the 13th when he failed to hole from under three feet.

An hour later Caldwell, two off the lead at the time, four-putted there from even closer range for a triple bogey seven.

Hedblom has recently started a practice putting routine of holing eight three-foot putts in a row and then eight from four feet, but he added: “I haven’t managed it once this week.

“I was there almost two hours the other day and was pulling my hair out. I’m supposed to keep going until I do it, but I just had to stop.”

Last year Lee Westwood called for the greens to be ripped up and relaid before the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Next August the course will again be staging the final counting event for Europe’s side and captain Colin Montgomerie - also this week’s tournament chairman - admits the problem will not be solved by then.

Montgomerie, who returned a 72 to remain level par, stated: “They have a five-year (improvement) plan and this is the second year.