Graeme McDowell kept his faint hopes of qualifying for the Open Championship alive with a battling third round in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
McDowell overcame the miserable conditions and an early double-bogey seven to card eight birdies in a four-under 68, which lifted him more than 30 places up the leaderboard.
The 37-year-old has dropped out of the world's top 100 for the first time since January 2008 after missing his last three halfway cuts, with a tie for 13th in Dubai in January his best finish in 2017.
The former US Open champion has played in the Open every year since making his debut in 2004, but needs to finish in the top 10 at Dundonald Links to have a chance of claiming one of the three places up for grabs at Royal Birkdale via the Open Qualifying Series.
At five under par, McDowell was four shots behind halfway leaders Padraig Harrington, Alexander Knappe and Callum Shinkwin, who were due out shortly before noon.
Tee times had been brought forward several hours due to the forecast for high winds later in the day, but it was torrential rain which was making life difficult for players and spectators alike in the £5.4million event, part of the European Tour's Rolex Series.
