Scottish Open: Robert Rock takes lead in two shots on final round

Tommy Fleetwood birdied the 18th to an excellent two-under 69 – 9 R Rock (Eng); -7 I Poulter (Eng), T Fleetwood (Eng), W Ormsby (Aus), M Kinhult (Swe); -5 V Dubuisson (Fra), A Arnaus (Spa), A Sullivan (Eng), G Green (Mal). Selected others: -3 P Harrington (Ire), N Colsaerts (Bel); E M Fitzpatrick (Eng). Full Ranking

England's Robert Rock is chasing Ryder Cup pair Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood nearby as he takes a two-stroke lead to the final day of the Scottish Open.

A one-over-par 72 was enough to send Rock top nine under at a rain-ravaged Renaissance Club in East Lothian.

Poulter & # 39; s bogey at 18 tied him next to Fleetwood for second place, while Scottish trio Robert MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Marc Warren are four below.

"Loved every minute of it," said Fleetwood.

"It's golf right? Let's face it, with the money we play because nowadays it can't hurt. I'd play in it every day if I needed to.

"It was pretty brutal. The rain didn't stop for half a second and only got worse and windy all day long.

"The golf shots I hit, you sometimes have to pat yourself on the back. My coach came in after nine holes, so I'll have to question him."

After two quiet days, the wild weather provided a compelling test, leaving parts of the course swampy from the downpours.

Clubhouse goal was set by Fleetwood, with a birdie on the latter completing a stunning 69, while leader Lucas Herbert lost six shots overnight after a 79.

Fellow Englishman Rock, who refused to speak to reporters after his round, ended up in the dark and considered not to continue on the third part 17 because he struggled had to see the pin, but ended with consecutive pars.

Poulter – who started his third round within two strokes of the lead – was two under for his first 11 holes, but dropped four shots in the last seven to place 73.

"That's as tough a day as I've seen in 21 years on a golf course," he said. "It was a shame it got really unmanageable towards the end but on the first nine I played great golf."

MacIntyre, last year's European Tour rookie, admitted having struggled to regain that form during a disappointing and disrupted second season.

"When I got back to the Tour I was neither in the right mood nor enjoying it," said the 24-year-old Scot after his 68th.

"But now I've turned a corner and I'm seeing positive signals in my wave."