Noren’s a storm trooper
Alex Noren battled through the rain to storm the ramparts of Castle Stuart and lay seige to the Scottish Open title.
The Swede will take a twoshot advantage into today’s final round after a superb 68 in the deluge kept his head above water and preserved the lead he’s held since Friday.
But Noren will be chased al l the way today by a quality pack including second- placed Matteo Manassero and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton who lurk just two birdies shy of Noren’s 12-under par score.
Danny Lee, Justin Walter and Graeme McDowell are among the others in the hunt, seeking to pounce on any slip-ups the 33-year-old leader may suffer.
But that didn’t look too likely yesterday as he closed with back-to-back birdies to seize control of the tournament and home in on
anything else that’s going on. “I love my country and I’m proud to represent it no matter where that is. “Whenever I grew up watching the Olympics I always watched Michael Phelps in the sw im m i n g po o l and thought I w i sh I could win a gold
He added: “I feel it would be irresponsible to put myself, her or our family at risk.
“I believe I am making the right decision for me and, most importantly, my family.
“While I am sure some will be critical of my decision, my hope is that most will understand and support it.” the winner’s cheque for £542,000. And as gruelling as the weather conditions have been all week, Noren insists he is fresher than most having missed a large chunk of this season to spend time with his newborn baby.
Noren said: “I had a baby at the beginning of the year and was out for maybe about two months because of that.
“So this is only my 11th tournament this year.
“I feel fresh and it’s very nice to have the time off in between tournaments to kind of prepare and to be a little hungry.
“I’m very happy with that round. The last nine was very tough and in those conditions it’s just about staying dry.
“I’m pleased to be in such a good position to earn what would be a huge win for me.
“In terms of the ranking points, it would the biggest win of my career. So that’s what I’m trying to do.
“Anybody, even those sitting at six under, could shoot a bri l l iant round tomorrow and be in with a chance. So it’s going to be tough.
“I’m trying to put in a good round and work with my caddie one shot at a time.
“It’s very important to ignore what everyone else is doing and just focus on myself. As I learned when you play on this tour, you’re just trying to hit one shot at a time and see what happens.
“A wind tomorrow would be fun for everybody if it dried off the course a little bit. Because then you’re going to see a lot of birdies, a few bogeys here and there. I think it’s going to be fun.”
Manassero, back in form after a three-year slump, said: “It was a tough day.
“In the morning it was really nice and then in the late afternoon it turned into a really difficult day.
“We are all completely wet. It’s really hard.
“So I’m satisfied. I had a good round. I made the chances when I could. On a day like this it’s about staying out of deep trouble.”