PESKY television eh?

The growing stature of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open means tee-times for the final two days are designed to accommodate an American audience.

On this side of the pond, that means late starts and even later finishes. Will our friends across the Atlantic be tuned in and on the edge of their seats? "Nobody will care if I'm doing well," said Florida-based Scot Russell Knox with a smile when asked if his title push will be attracting any attention in his adopted home.

Knox continues to make his mark back here, though, and his four-under-par 66 at Gullane yesterday - for a nine-under aggregate of 201 - left him right in the thick of the title race ahead of today's final round, just three shots behind 54-hole frontrunner Daniel Brooks.

The unheralded Englishman deserves plenty of plaudits for standing firm at the top of the leaderboard. Brooks's one-under 69, for a 12-under total of 198, kept him heading in the right direction. It could so easily have gone the other way. A nervy swipe off the first tee sailed into the thick rough down the right side of the fairway. "The worst spot on the golf course," tut-tutted one well informed local.

Brooks took two hacks to find the fairway, hurting his wrist in the process, before scribbling a potentially ruinous double-bogey six on to his card which swiftly cost him his lead. Brooks, who has missed 30 cuts on the Tour since winning the Madeira Islands Open last season, steadied the ship, though. A bold up-and-down from a treacherous spot on the second was a good settler and, from there, he went on to play some fine golf.

His 3-iron on the ninth, into the teeth of a robust Gullane breeze, was a superbly executed links shot and it trundled to within a few feet from where he made birdie. "I stuck that opening tee shot in about the only place you can't go on this course," reflected Brooks, who leads by a shot from Raphael Jacquelin, with Rickie Fowler, Joost Luiten and Tommy Fleetwood a stroke further back.

"If it wasn't for the ball spotters I'd have lost that one. But that horrible up-and-down on the second settled me a bit. The final round will be the biggest day of my career. Hopefully, what I went through in the early part of that round will stand me in good stead."

The French, meanwhile, have made a connection with this event down the years. Gregory Havret and Thomas Levet both won the Scottish Open and were left drookit on the 18th green of Loch Lomond as their countrymen rushed from the sidelines and sprayed them with Champagne.

The sparkling stuff may be getting stuck in the fridge in preparation for another cork-popping celebration if Jacquelin keeps things going. A neatly assembled 64 featured a haul of six birdies but his par-save on the sixth, where he chipped in from off the green, was just as important for maintaining momentum.

A four-time winner on the European Tour, the consistent Jacquelin endured an uncharacteristic run of five missed cuts before finishing on the fringes of the top-20 in the French Open last weekend. Having been second and third in the Scottish Open, in 2009 and 2010, the 41-year-old is eager to get a dousing with the aforementioned bubbly. "I am ready for the Champagne," he said with a grin of anticipation.

"I was there when both Thomas and Gregory won. It's great. It's good fun and it's always been good fun since we started it. I remember my first win was in 2005 and they did it. So since then, every time we have a French win we try to spray the Champagne."

Fowler, winner of The Players' Championship in May, vaulted into the mix with a rousing eagle on the 16th in a 66 that left him just two strokes back and in a menacing position to pounce. Victory on Scottish soil would certainly be poignant for the young Californian. "My coach growing up, Barry McDonell, passed away a few years back and he had Scottish connections," Fowler said.

"It would definitely mean a lot to me to win here. Being able to win the Scottish Open would be big, especially going into next week's Open. I wouldn't mind doing what Phil [Mickelson] did a couple of years ago and win both. That would make for a successful trip for sure."

Luiten, the impressive Dutchman, was flying yesterday as he propelled himself into contention with a trio of birdies at 15, 16 and 17 in a 66 while Inverness exile Knox also took route 66 up the order. His assault was bolstered by a late burst. The 30-year-old, who was handed a place in the Open after Rory McIlroy withdrew through injury, made a birdie on the 15th before cracking a delightfully flighted 3-wood to seven feet on the 16th and rolling in the eagle putt.

Back among his ain folk, Knox, who is making impressive strides on the PGA Tour in the US and is now 77th on the world rankings, continues to live the dream. "It means everything to be doing well over here," he said. "I mean, golf is hard. We all know that.

"Just to be a professional golfer is a dream come true and getting to play in my home Open is unbelievable. To play well is a huge bonus."

With £500,000 on offer to the winner today, the bonus could be even bigger.