The race for one of European golf's biggest titles was thrown wide open at windy Wentworth today - all because Paul McGinley made an error-ridden start.

Four clear in the PGA Championship after a record-breaking 13-under par performance on the first two days, the 41-year-old Dubliner double-bogeyed the opening hole and then dropped further strokes on the third and fifth.

Swede Robert Karlsson and Dane Soren Kjeldsen took over at the top as a result, but McGinley got back alongside them with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 418-yard sixth.

Pars on the next two were then sufficient to put him at the head of the field on his own again as Karlsson bogeyed the eighth and Kjeldsen the short 10th.

The pair slipped back alongside big-hitting Argentinian Daniel Vancsik on nine-under as a result, while England's Paul Casey, caught up in controversy yesterday, was just one further back and heading for the round of the day.

McGinley's problems started when he pushed a long iron off the first tee into a bunker and came up short of the green in two. He then chipped off the back and after electing to use his putter sent it six feet past and missed the return.

A pulled drive down the 465-yard third led to a bogey and his next mistake came when he went a fraction long at the short fifth and missed his five-foot par attempt.

Ryder Cup team-mate Karlsson had three-putted the first for bogey, but sank an 18-footer two holes later and also birdied the long fourth.

Lucky to come out of the trees down the sixth he parred that and did well to escape with a four on the next, chipping from on the green because of the slope between him and the hole and getting it to four feet.

Miles Tunnicliff, joint second with Karlsson overnight, bogeyed the second, fourth and fifth, but Casey picked up strokes on the fourth, fifth and 12th.

A victory for McGinley could sweep him all the way from 38th to top of the Order of Merit and from world number 157 into the top 50, all just in time to earn him places in next month's US Open and July's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

First prize this year is almost €750,000 and even the player finishing seventh picks up more than €130,000.