Peter Baker showed little let-up in his quest for a third win of the season at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Trump International Links in Aberdeenshire.
The Englishman has already tasted victory at the Irish Legends and the JCB Championship on the Legends Tour this year.
He heads into the final round at Trump International Links with a four-shot lead over Simon Khan following a third round of 69 to reach 12 under overall.
He was almost completely out of sight for the chasing pack after reaching five under for his round through 12 holes before a dropped shot at 14 and a three-putt at the last for a bogey six.
He said: “I played really well and got off to a nice start.
“I managed to keep it going, although it got more difficult towards the end.
“It was a long day with teeing off late so the back nine was difficult but we managed to hang in there.
“I feel shattered but I’m looking forward to having another go tomorrow.
“Anything can happen around here so I’ll need to go out and try to play well again and see what happens.”
Baker, a three-time winner on the European Tour and a member of the 1993 European Ryder Cup team, doesn’t intend to adopt a more conservative approach for the final round.
He said: “I try not to think too much about the lead, I try to focus on performing well.
“I will try to play to the best of my abilities and hole a few putts.
“I can only control what I can do and not think too much about what the other guys do.
“Somebody might go out there and shoot 66 or 65 but if I play well then I will be happy.
“It is a good golf course because if you play well tee to green then you can score but if you don’t play well then it is easy to drop shots.
“That is a sign of a very good course.”
67 | 75 | 66 ✅
A bogey-free, 66 puts @simonkhangolf into solo second 📊#SPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/YZaSNKJaKI
— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) August 26, 2023
Khan takes route 66 into second spot
Khan carded the lowest round of the third day with a six-under-par 66 which included four birdies and an eagle two at the seventh as he moved up to eight under for the tournament.
Former US Open champion Michael Campbell and Englishman Greg Owen are tied third on five under with 2012 Scottish Open winner Jeev Milkha Singh in fifth spot on three under.
Torphins’ Greig Hutcheon carded his lowest round of the week with a two-under 70 but felt it should have been better after playing the opening eight holes in four under.
He said: “It was disappointing.
“I had it four under early on but I lost my concentration a heap of times out there.
“The pace was really poor and my mind kept wandering.
“I three-putted the ninth from nowhere which was down to a lack of concentration.
“I three-putted 13 and then drove it in the bunker at the last.
“It was a bit of a rotten day.
“If I could shoot a round in the 60s tomorrow I would be happy.”
Can anyone stop @peterbakergolf?!
He is SEVEN shots clear 👀#SPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/T4QNQWEFaj
— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) August 26, 2023
Hutcheon is tied sixth on two under alongside fellow Scot Andrew Oldcorn who shot a two-over 74.
Euan McIntosh is tied 10th on one under, while Aberdeen’s Paul Lawrie finished the day tied 26th after a round of 75.
Only the top 60 and ties progressed to the final round with Thomas Levet (+11), Scott Henderson (+12) and American Shaun Micheel (+13) among those missing the 54-hole cut.
