A rare ?mental lapse? by Delroy Cambridge on the final hole enabled Kirk Hanefeld to walk away with a one-shot lead over his rival heading into today?s fourth and final round of the $50,000 Gosling?s Invitational at Belmont Hills.

The American pro was virtually handed the lead as one of the European Senior Tour?s biggest hitters suffered a double-bogey at the final hole ? although it might have been much worse.

But while Hanefeld ? who carded a 68 spiced with five birdies to go five-under for the tournament ? might have been satisfied to gain sole possession of the lead, the first time anyone has held the lead outright this week, a bogey on the final hole left Cambridge breathing right down his neck, and the tournament perched on a razor?s edge.

?I just didn?t finish very well and my two-under-par today was really disappointing,? lamented Hanefeld.

?But it should be very interesting tomorrow (today) depending on who plays the best. I?m not going to try to do anything differently. I hope to go out there and play smart and be patient and hopefully hit the ball on the greens where I can be aggressive.?

With a small gallery spurring him on at the par-four 18th, Cambridge saved his round ? and perhaps a shot at pocketing the $9,000 winner?s purse ? with what ultimately proved to be a respectable double-bogey that effectively kept the championship a two-horse race.

After making birdie at the par-three 17th to move to three-under for the day, Cambridge?s game unravelled at the seams when his second shot from a fairway bunker caught the lip and ricocheted out of bounds, resulting in a two-shot penalty.

?I was above the ball and really made a mental mistake,? he lamented. ?I should?ve chipped it out because making a five at 18 is not bad. But it was a very good recovery because I didn?t want to make seven there.?

Forced to take a drop, the Jamaican-born national hit his fourth shot with an iron back into the fairway before placing his final approach just above the pin to leave himself with a three-foot putt for double-bogey which he nailed with nerves of steel.

?I thought today would have been my best round. But I didn?t make any putts, other than a 25-foot birdie. I missed a lot of putts but that?s the way the game is,? added Cambridge, who also bogeyed the second, 11th and 16th holes.

?But I still have a shot at the championship and hopefully I can manage a pretty solid round tomorrow to give myself a good chance.?

2001 Bermuda Open champion Bill Walsh, who shot a one-over 71, currently lies in third spot four shots off the lead. The Canadian also left himself with extra work at the 18th after his final approach soared over the green.

?It flew about ten yards too long,? the diminutive Walsh told . ?I was hitting uphill into the wind and so I figured I?d chip it in there but it didn?t work out.?

However, like rivals Hanefeld and Cambridge, the Toronto resident ?hit a good chip and a bad putt to make bogey?.

?It could?ve been worse,? he conceded. ?I missed a lot of short putts today and didn?t take advantage of the par fives as I had done for the past two days. I kind of threw away a lot today but I?m definitely within striking distance and hopefully I can shoot something really low tomorrow.?

Bermuda?s Dwayne Pearman, celebrating his 43rd birthday yesterday, carded an even-par 70 which left him one-over for the tournament and fifth overall.

?I had some good chances to shoot a low score. But I didn?t take advantage of those opportunities,? he said as he made his way off the course.

Despite entering the clubhouse under par for the first time this week, Michael Sims (69) slipped two spots down the leaderboard from sixth to eighth.

Sims, who made five birdies yesterday, remains at three-over for the tournament.

?Obviously I played a lot better today and overall I?m pleased and enjoying my golf,? he said, sporting a fresh haircut.

?I think that is what made all the difference today . . . it made my head a little lighter.?

But on a more serious note, Sims added :?Obviously there?s a lot of ground that needs to be made up.?

Yesterday saw Kevin Morris shoot the day?s lowest round score of 67 ? one of eight competitors coming in under par.

Others going under included Tim Conley (68), Craig Marseilles (69), defending champion P.H.Horgan (69) and last year?s runner-up Joe Rinker who shot 68.

Meanwhile, the lead in the amateur field swapped hands for the third time in as many days as Jeffery Lindo (73) produced another steady round to replace Hav Trott (76) at the top with 18 holes left to play.

?I?m up against guys like Hav and Burch and all I intend to do tomorrow is go out there and play each hole as it comes,? said Lindo. ?I don?t play the man . . . I just go out there and play the course and may the best man win.?

Opening day leader Leroy Burch fell further off the pace after carding a second successive round in the 80s.

However, Noel VanPutten continues to lead the senior division by two shots over Max Atherden with Adrian Crockwell a further six shots adrift.