Colin Montgomerie and Marco Dawson could not be separated at the top of the leaderboard after completing the back nine of their third rounds in the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex.
Further heavy rain made playing conditions tricky once again at Sunningdale Golf Club, as Montgomerie and Dawson resumed on ten under par having managed only nine holes on Saturday evening.
After four birdies on his front nine on Saturday evening, Scot Montgomerie made nine straight pars to sign for a round of 66 and remain ten under par heading into the final round, which will begin at 12pm.
Dawson’s inward nine was a little more eventful, with the American recovering after beginning with back-to-back bogeys to pick up shots on the 12th and 14th holes, for a two under par round of 68.
The final member of their group, defending champion Bernhard Langer, picked up birdies on the tenth and 12th holes in his round of 68 to move one shot behind the leaders on nine under par.
That means the same trio will form the final group for the decisive round, with Montgomerie bidding to add the Senior Open to the two US Senior PGA Championships and the 2014 US Senior Open he has already won since turning 50.
“It was disappointing this morning,” he reflected. “I played quite well this morning but nothing really happened. The putt on the last, the pace it was going, coming in from the right, I don't know how that lipped-out. And I missed one on 14 for birdie and one at 12. So it is disappointing, really, not to make any birdies this morning, not to make any inroads, but I’m still leading and my goal at the start of the week was to be in contention Saturday night. It might be Sunday morning after three days, but what can you do?
“There's a lot to play for here. Me probably more than most; I know where The Open Championship is played next year and I've got a lot to play for.
“Energy levels are not a problem, not an issue at all. I just have to hold off some very good players behind - the Couples, Jiménez', the Langers of the world, and of course Marco Dawson in the lead. It will be an interesting last round.”
Dawson won his first title on the US Champions Tour in March and he was pleased with his morning’s work after playing a gruelling 27 holes on Saturday.
“I did some scoring today,” he said. “I didn't start off very well with two bogeys on the first two holes this morning, and then made them up, got back to even and then played the last four holes pretty good. The conditions are tough. When you're trying to stay dry and trying to figure out what the ball is going to do, there's just so much that you're thinking about that it's just tough, a tough day.
Langer, meanwhile, is also hoping to build on a productive morning, as he attempts to win his third Senior Open title and equal the record held by Gary Player and Tom Watson.
“We don't control the weather,” said the German. “It's been a very tiring week, especially the way I was playing last week, at The Open Championship, going into Monday. So I never had a day to rest really. It's taxing but my play is not too bad.”
With an improved forecast for the afternoon, Spaniard Jiménez' will be among those hoping to -make up ground on the final group. He birdied the 13th after the resumption but gave that shot back on the 16th and is two shots back on eight under par, alongside Australian Peter Fowler.
