Hend Clings To Hope At Scottish Open
CONSECUTIVE birdies to end his third round have seen Scott Hend cling to the fringes of contention with 18 holes to go at the Scottish Open.
The long hitting Queenslander, who shared the lead on day one, was in early trouble Saturday after a 2-over-par front nine at the Castle Stuart layout but fought back with four back nine birdies to remain in the reckoning.
Hend will need to produce something special on Sunday if he is to capture a third European Tour title but his aggressive style of play means a score in the low 60’s is not out of the question.
The 42-year-old is the ultimate confidence player and coming home in 32 on day three will have given him a boost heading into Sunday’s round.
At 4-under for the week Hend is eight shots behind outright leader Alex Noren of Sweden who added a 4-under 68 to scores of 70-66 to be 12-under and two clear of the chasing pack.
Noren, whose previous form at the Castle Stuart course includes a third place finish in 2012, broke a 30-hole bogey-free run when he dropped a shot at the par-4 7th on Saturday, one of two bogies on the day.
Like Hend, though, Noren finished with back to back birdies to give himself a cushion heading to what is shaping as a tightly contested final round.
