• Scottish Open, Round Two

Donald in the hunt ahead of final round

Luke Donald is one stroke off the pace © PA Photos

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Leaderboard

World No. 1 Luke Donald made an ominous move towards the top of the leaderboard on Sunday morning ahead of the final round of the Scottish Open.

Following Saturday's washout, the tournament has been cut to 54 holes for the first time in the competition's history. Play began in the early hours of Sunday, allowing the likes of Donald, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie to finish their second rounds - which started almost 48 hours ago.

Donald was the man to deal with the changeable conditions best, completing his round for a 67 that moves him to within one stroke of the leaders. The world's leading player joins Jose Manuel Lara and Barry Lane in a tie for second, and he acknowledged: "I'm in a good position. It took a while, but it's nice to get it done and hopefully we can play another 18 today."

Donald trails Graeme McDowell, Scott Jamieson, Peter Whiteford and Peter Hanson at the top of the leaderboard. Like Donald, Hanson carded a 67 thanks largely to a superb crescendo to his second round, which saw the Swede birdy three of the final seven holes as he chases his fifth European Tour win.

Westwood is three strokes off top spot after he settled for a 71, while Montgomerie's hopes of qualifying for the Open appear to be over despite a 69. He needs to finish as the leading non-exempt player, and his rivals currently sit three strokes above him.

"I'm trying my best, but it's a long shot now," Montgomerie said. "I have a long way to go and I needed two more rounds to be honest.

"I'll have to play like Luke - no mistakes. I'm throwing in too many errors."

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