Orr steps up to keep Scots ahead of field

AFTER Gareth Wright had done most of the heavy lifting in the first two rounds, David Orr took over the mantle to keep Scotland on course in their bid to win the PGAs of Europe International Team Championship in Portugal.

Orr’s five-under-par 67, coupled with a 71 from Wright, gave the Scots a 54-hole aggregate of 416 and a five-shot lead over England heading into today’s final round at Palmares on the Algarve.

Wright, the West Linton-attached Glenmuir British Club Professionals’ champion, is also leading the chase for the individual spoils. On 208, he leads Stuart Little, the left-handed Englishman, by a single shot, with Orr a further stroke back after his sterling third-day effort over the Alvor Course.

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“Another good day for Team Scotland,” said Orr, who is based at Mearns Castle on the outskirts of Glasgow. “Now we just need to finish off the job in the final round.”

David Patrick, who played out of Mortonhall when he was picked for the 1999 Walker Cup but is now attached to Elie Sports Centre, is the third member of the Scottish team bidding to claim a title that used to fall to the Tartan Tour’s representatives on a regular basis but has become harder to win recently.