Gary Orr is in the hunt for another Scottish Senior Open title heading into the closing round at Royal Aberdeen.
On a weather disrupted day in the Granite City, Helensburgh veteran Orr kept himself in the thick of it with a neatly assembled one-under 70 for a four-under aggregate of 138.
That left the 54-year-old, who won the Scottish crown at Craigielaw in 2018, just a shot behind the leader, David Morland of Canada, who posted a 68 to ease to the front.
Orr, a two-time winner on the over-50s circuit, had one birdie and 17 pars in a round that was late in teeing-off and was suspended for a spell during a fierce downpour.
“We had a real mix of conditions and when the rain came it was horrendous,” said Orr who was a double champion on the main European Tour back in 2000. “When you’re soaked it’s hard to get back into it. It was a bit of a grind. We were a couple of hours late in teeing off too so you feel a bit out of sorts having hung around.
“It would be unbelievable to win this again, a dream come true.”
Orr was joined in a share of second by Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez, who fired a fine 66, and former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker, who added a 70 to his tally.
Tournament host Paul Lawrie, the champion a couple of years ago, slipped back to two-under after a one-over 72 but the Aberdonian is still in a share of ninth with one round to go. Another local, Scott Henderson, and senior rookie Euan McIntosh are in a tie for 18th on one-over.
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