McLeary confident he can catch leader

Molinari over final Spey Valley round

From Michael Gibbons, Challenge Tour Press Officer
Jamie McLeary continued to fly the Scottish Saltire at the top end of the Scottish Hydro Challenge leaderboard after a third round of one over par 72 saw the Dalmahoy-based professional move into a tie for second place at the Macdonald Spey Valley course, Aviemore.
McLeary was naturally disappointed to drop two strokes in his last three holes, but he is confident that he can overhaul leader Edoardo Molinari of Italy – the 2005 US Amateur champion who posted a brilliant third round 67 – in today’s final round.
“That was a very disappointing finish,” McLeary admitted. “There were two bogeys in there but it felt like three dropped shots because I should have birdied the 17th.
“I hit a great drive down the last and only had 96 yards to the pin but I had to back off because an ice cream van started chiming on the road! That got a few giggles from the gallery! Then I went back to the shot, hit it and got a terrible gust and it spun back off the green to about 30 yards.
“I played okay all day – it was very tough out there so Edoardo’s four under is a great effort. I can go out and have a go tomorrow. I know if I can go under par tomorrow then I will have a chance if the weather is the same as we have had all week. I still have a great chance and I am looking forward to it. I just have to hope that the guys around me start thinking about it too much and give me a chance to sneak in there.”
McLeary, currently on five under par alongside Englishman James Ruebotham, will be joined by fellow Scots Peter Whiteford (currently three under), Scott Jamieson (two under) and Andrew McArthur (one under) in the chase for the £30,000 first prize at the European Challenge Tour event.
It looks unlikely that former Open Champion Paul Lawrie will be in the hunt for the top prize after a third round of four over 75 left him ten shots off the pace.
THIRD ROUND LEADERS
Par 213 (3x71)
207 Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 69 71 67.
209 Jamie McLeary (Sco) 69 67 72, James Ruebotham (Eng) 71 69 68.
210 Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 70 74 66, Peter Whiteford (Sco) 70 70 70.
211 Sion E Bebb (Wal) 68 74 69, Scott Jamieson (Sco) 70 68 73, Reinier Saxton (Net) 73 68 70.
Selected scores:
212 Andrew McArthur (Sco) 67 73 72.
215 Raymond Russell (Sco) 74 70 71.
217 Greig Hutcheon (Sco) 70 76 71, Paul Lawrie (Sco) 71 71 75.
218 Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 72 69 77, Duncan Stewart (Sco) 71 72 75.
219 Ross Cameron (Sco) 70 71 78, Scott Henderson (Sco) 72 73 74, Eric Ramsay (Sco) 71 75 74.
MISSED THE CUT
147 George Murray (Sco) 72 75.
148 Scott Henry (Sco) 73 75, Lloyd Saltman (Sco) 71 77.
151 Lee Harper (Sco) 74 77, Barry Hume (Sco) 73 78, Edward Thomson (Sco) 73 78.
152 Craig Lee (Sco) 74 78, David Orr (Sco) 77 75, Murray Urquhart (Sco) 77 75.
153 Jason McCreadie (Sco) 77 76.
154 Graeme Lornie (Sco) 80 74.
164 Eric Walker (Sco) 86 78.