LUKE Donald, who stormed into the lead with a round to go, reckons the tartan trousers he wore in shooting an eight-under-par 64 at Kingsbarns yesterday aren't the only reason he deserves a percentage of the Scottish support in the weather-delayed Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Eight shots behind Thomas Bjorn, the first-round pacesetter, after an opening 72 at Carnoustie on Thursday, Donald, who is half-Scottish (his father was born in Stranraer), stepped up his bid for a first European Tour victory in just over five
years as he followed a 65 at St Andrews by going one better in his third round.
That eight-under-par effort moved him to 15-under-par for the tournament, one ahead of Rory McIlroy and Simon Dyson, with Richie Ramsay, who recovered well from a nightmare start to his third round, a further shot adrift along with Darren Clarke, Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Michael Hoey.
With ten more players, including Lee Westwood, the 2003 winner, lying within five shots of the lead, another exciting finish looks to be in store as the £3 million event is decided on a Monday for the second time, Paul Lawrie having claimed the title when fog and rain forced play to be extended eight years ago.
After Saturday's cancellation of play because of high winds, conditions were much calmer when the tournament resumed yesterday and Donald, who was sidelined for six months last year after requiring surgery to repair an injured tendon in his wrist, made his move by equalling the best round of the week at any of the three courses.
The 31-year-old Englishman, third when Stephen Gallacher won this event five years ago, bagged nine birdies in two halves of 32, admitting afterwards that he felt he had to go out and do something special after deciding to wear a pair of tartan trousers.
"You have to play well when you're wearing trousers as outrageous as these," he said, before pointing out that his dad, Colin, was born in Scotland.
"I'm half 'sweaty', as they say, and it would be great to win such a huge tournament at the home of golf," added Donald, poised to be the party-pooper on what could be a memorable day for the McIlroy family.
Rory, third two years ago, is in contention again and, what's more, he'll be playing on the Old Course today alongside his father, Gerry, on his 50th birthday. The pair are lying 15th, nine shots behind the leaders, in the team event.
By comparison to his opening two rounds, McIlroy had an up and down day at Kingsbarns, where he picked up an early eagle when holing a 25-foot putt at the third, then dropped three shots in the space of three holes before resuming normal service with birdies at the ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th holes.
Casting his eye over a congested leaderboard, the 20-year-old, who spent Saturday with some friends from Dundee University, said: "I need to go out in the final round in 31 or 32 to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck – that's what I'll be trying to do."
Ramsay, another of the co-leaders after the second round, dug deep to keep his title hopes alive after dropping three shots in his first three holes at Kingsbarns, where the bulk of the damage was caused by a 7 at the long 12th after straying on to the rocks. Helped by an eagle-2 at the sixth, where he holed a 100-foot putt from off the green, the Aberdonian signed for a 70 to keep himself in the hunt.
"To be in contention over the last few holes would be a dream come true," said Ramsay, who will secure his European Tour card for next season with a top-ten finish in this event. "I was due to fly to Madrid tomorrow and it's cost me £280 after canceling my flight – but that would be pennies if I could pick up a big cheque here."
Cabrera-Bello, the Spaniard who closed with a 60 to win the Austrian Open a fortnight ago, moved into contention once again after a 65 at Kingsbarns, where Clarke carded a 67 to boost his hopes of climbing into the top 60 in the 'Race to Dubai'.
While Alastair Forsyth, who started the third round just one off the pace, dropped back to five-under for the tournament after a 77 at Carnoustie, he was among five other Scots to join Ramsay in the final round. Marc Warren, following a 71 at Kingsbarns, is on six-under, one in front of Steven O'Hara, while Callum Macaulay and Wallace Booth both scraped in along with Padraig Harrington on four-under, the cut-off mark.
Macaulay, who is fighting to save his card, covered his last 16 holes on the Old Course in six-under to card a 67, admitting that a putting lesson with Damian Taylor, the brother of his manager, had sorted him out. "My head felt as though it was up my backside in the first two rounds," he said.
Booth secured a pay cheque in his first event as a professional, the Comrie man heaving a huge sigh of relief after learning he'd made it despite a 75 at Carnoustie. "I probably played too defensively today and was punished for that but it has been a fantastic week so far," he said.
Playing with Soren Hansen, Kieran McManus, son of J P McManus, a two-time winner of the team event, is leading the way this time on 31-under. Manuel De Los Santos, the one-legged golfer from the Dominican Republic, missed out on a place in the final round by just one shot on 20-under.
