It was a day to forget for Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley as Jerry Kelly and Cameron Percy share the ISPS HANDA Senior Open lead after a back-and-forth battle in blustery conditions at Gleneagles.
Both Dubliners carded four-over 76s, leaving defending champion Harrington on +6 and tied for 52nd with McGinley one shot further adrift and sharing 58th.
Kelly carded a two under 68, while Percy posted a one over 71 as the pair are tied at eight-under, three shots clear of England’s Peter Baker, who leads the chasing pack at five under par.
The lead changed hands several times between the final pairing on Saturday but a final-hole eagle from Percy saw the third-round leader regain his position alongside Kelly at the top of the leaderboard after 54-holes.
Percy entered the day with a three-shot cushion but after dropping three shots in his first four holes, he found himself briefly tied at the top for the first time with Kelly, but very quickly regained an advantage.
Kelly had managed to get to seven-under with a birdie at the third but immediately bogeyed the fourth and then gave away two more shots at the fifth and eighth holes to make the turn at four-under and two shots adrift of the leader.
Both players made brilliant birdies at the tenth to keep the lead at two shots, made good recoveries at the 11th, but a mistake from the tee left Percy scrambling at the 12th while a birdie for Kelly meant a two shot swing to see them draw level at six under.
Back-to-back bogeys from Percy meant the next swing went in favour of Kelly, whose third birdie in four holes at the 13th gave him his first time leading on his own. The American’s lead soon doubled to two strokes thanks to a mistake from Percy at the 14th, but two holes later the Australian was able to half the deficit with a birdie at 16.
After trading pars at the 17th, Percy was the first man to climb back to eight under with his eagle, while Kelly’s effort slid by the right of the hole and he ended his round with a birdie to join the lead.
South African Darren Fichardt sits in fourth position on four under par, while Major Champion Ernie Els, American Pat Perez and Austrian Markus Brier are a shot further back in fifth.
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