But what a day’s golf! A ludicrous flurry of birdies! The score of the day was Marc Leishman’s 64. The advance of the day was Padraig Harrington’s 65. The most ominous rumblings of the day were provided by Jordan Spieth’s 66. But the story of the day is unquestionably Paul Dunne’s 66. The 22-year-old Irish amateur shot the best-ever third round at an Open by an amateur. And now he’s leading the Open alongside the man who won it here last time! To put his efforts in context, if he does anything like that again tomorrow, there’s a chance he’d become the first amateur winner of the Open since Bobby Jones in 1930. It’s a staggering achievement - though it’s probably fair to point out that he’s a year older than Spieth. Whichever way you want to spin it, it’s been some day. Just look at this leaderboard! And see you tomorrow for what will surely be an equally manic Monday!
-12: Dunne -a-, Oosthuizen, Day
-11: Spieth
-10: Harrington
-9: Leishman, Niebrugge -a-, Garcia, Rose, Goosen, Streb, Scott, Z Johnson, Willett
-8: Pepperell, Schwartzel, Bowditch
-7: Fowler, Palmer, Reed, Cink, Wall, Matsuyama, Warren, D Johnson
Updated
Meanwhile finally, perhaps belatedly, we can officially name the last hour as Dustin Johnson Meltdown Time. After getting something going on 15 with that long rake from off the green for birdie, he’s finished 5-5-5, three bogeys, the latest a miserable prod to the right of the hole. He’s signing for a 75: the second-worst round of the day. He’s -7, and unless something very strange happens tomorrow, his wait for a maiden major title goes on. Oh Dustin!
Willett sends his putt out to the left, and it’s always staying out. That’s a closing par, and at least he stemmed the bleeding: he was tied for the lead through 10 holes, but bogeys at 13, 14 and 17 sent him back to the start. A level-par 72, and at -9 he’s not out of it. But it’ll be a battle now.
Willett, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes, hits a hard wedge to the back of the 18th green. What he’d have given for a closing birdie to soothe the pain. See also: Dustin Johnson, whose lob in topples back off the green and into the Valley of Sin. Dustin gets the putter out, and severely underhits the putt up. He’s got a six footer to save par, and perhaps his increasingly slim chances of winning this Open Championship.
More sandy bother for Dustin, this time in the Road Hole bunker. He splashes out to 15 feet, which was pretty much the best he could do. Two putts, though and another shot dropped. He’s -8. Meanwhile from the front of the green, Willett hits a gorgeously weighted putt up to four feet, then squirts what should be a straight one wide right. What a dreadful miss. This round has come apart. He’s back to -9.
Lawrie rolls a lovely putt up the Valley and onto the green, his ball stopping a foot short. A final par, and a round of 74. At -6 his chances are, you’d think, gone. But then he did win the 1999 Open from ten shots back. So you never know. Two putts for Warren, and a much less painful but not particularly welcome 72. He’s -7, and again, probably too far back given the number of big-name players ahead of him. But there’s always hope at the Open. But it looks like the 16-year wait for the next Scottish winner goes on. Scotland is the Liverpool FC of golf.
Lawrie lashes a frustrated drive down 18, then watches in horror as his wedge into the green topples back into the Valley of Sin. The Scottish campaign has long been on the decline, Warren having bogeyed 12 and 15, dropping to -7. He’s at the back of the green in two. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama finished rather miserably, with bogeys at 14 and 17, ending the third round at -7.
Zach Johnson, who dropped one at the Road Hole along with Scott, gently caresses his wedge into 18 to 18 inches. That’ll be a tap-in birdie and he’ll sign for a 70 that takes him to -9. Scott’s wedge lands eight feet behind the hole, and he leaves his putt on the high side. A 70, and he’s -9 as well. Willett, from the middle of the big green at 16, takes two for his par. And it’s a miserable double-bogey for Lawrie on 17, who nearly putts into the bunker, then misses a tiddler, and he’s back to -6. He’s never been the same since that daft short putt for birdie on 12.
Dustin dumps his approach to 16 into a pot bunker. He splashes out quite delicately, but leaves himself a ten-footer to save the shot he picked up at the last. He pulls it, and he’s back to -9. Scott leaves his second into 17 short. He putts up to six feet, but that’s a tester. And he can’t make it. A poor putt, really. Goodness knows what’ll happen to him when the long putter ban comes in. He’s back to -9. Meanwhile on 18, Streb’s birdie putt lips out. He signs for a 70. Day’s stays out on the left, never going in, and he taps in for par and a 67. He’s the co-leader with Paul Dunne and Louis Oosthuizen at -12.
Jason Day makes his four at 17. That’s a marvellous escape. He eases his tee shot down the middle of 18, then lobs over the flag, his ball spinning back to eight feet. He’ll have a good look for a birdie that’d give him the sole leadership of the Open. His partner Streb has been hanging in there all day, and chips to 12 feet; a birdie for him would take him to -10. A couple of big putts coming up.
Willett leaves his putt from off the front of 15 well short of the hole. For a second, it looks like he might be collapsing late on, but he nails the six footer he’s left himself. That’s arrested the downwards momentum. Magnificent par. Up on 18, Oosthuizen taps in for his birdie, and a splendid 67. He’s in a tie for the lead at -12 with Jason Day (who has chipped up to five feet on 17) and Paul Dunne, who gets down in two from the back and signs for his amazing 66. That’s the record score for an amateur in the third round of the Open!
Anyone remember Spangles Dustin Johnson? Nothing’s happened for him whatsoever today. And now he stands over a putt miles off the front of the 15th green - and rakes it in up a hill from 60 feet! A birdie out of nowhere, his first of the day, and he’s back to -10! He’s only two off the lead, and a huge smile plays over his face. Hope the real big man turns up to play tomorrow.
Scott is a few millimetres away from curling in a right-to-left 20-footer on 16 for birdie. He stays at -10. Day leaves himself a bit to do on 17, his second well short of the green. And Zach Johnson, who had been all pars through 13, birdied 14 and now 16. He’s -9. Meanwhile Dunne is coming up the last, and receives the warmest of welcomes from the gallery. Once it eventually subsides, a few notes from a lone piper can be heard drifting in from the town. Dunne clips his second to the back of the green, while Oosthuizen sends a beautiful lob screeching its brakes four feet from the flag.
Dunne creams an astonishingly brave second straight into 17, caring not about the infamous bunker on the front-left of the green. He leaves himself a 20-foot chance for birdie, and it so nearly drops, but slides a foot past. Brilliant par. So, in a different way, is his playing partner Oosthuizen’s. He’s forced to engage nerves of steel to bump a chip close to the bunker and up to the flag. He gets to eight feet, and rolls it in for his par. The pair slap each other on the back, all smiles as they escape the hellish hole.
Willett slots his bogey putt away. That’s back-to-back bogeys, but given he’d flayed his drive OB, that’s a decent result. He’s -10. An eventful par at the last for Retief Goosen - he fluffs his chip into the Valley of Sin, then nearly holes the long birdie putt from off the green - and he’s signing for a 69. He’s -9. And a two-putt par by the co-leader Jason Day on 16, though he uses every inch of the hole for his four-footer to secure it, his ball doing the 360 death ride before dropping.
Willett is wedging his fifth into 14. He whips his ball up into the air, and lands it softly, eight feet from the flag. He’ll have a chance to escape with bogey! Goosen drops his first stroke of the day, with a three-putt at 17. He’s back to -9.
Jason Day should have taken a share of the lead on 14. He does so at 15 by rolling in a simple, straight ten footer. He’s -12, and might have the lead all to himself in a minute, because Dunne has found the heart of 16 in two, but left his long first putt six feet short. Oosthuizen was extremely close to joining them, his birdie effort at 16 staying up on the left lip from 15 feet. But then Dunne knocks in his tricky tiddler, and he keeps hold of that precious lead.
-12: Dunne -a- (16), Day (15)
-11: Spieth (F), Oosthuizen (16), Willett (13)
Disaster for Danny Willett! He slices his drive at 14 down the right. He seems to think it’s OK, and leans down to pick up his tee with an insouciant swipe. But he doesn’t know his ball’s crept over the stone wall that marks out of bounds down the side of the hole! Once the steward signals back what’s happened, he reloads in some disbelief and cracks his third shot down the middle. Shades of the chaos at Chambers Bay when Branden Grace capitulated on the 16th, wanging one out of bounds, his ball only just sneaking under a mesh fence.
Willett leaves his chip onto 13 short, and he can’t repair the damage from 20 feet with his putter. That’s his first bogey of the day, and Paul Dunne leads the Open on his own!
-12: Dunne -a- (15)
-11: Spieth (F), Oosthuizen (15), Day (14), Willett (13)
Day has a putt on 14 from 12 feet for a share of the lead, but he sends it curling away to the left. He stays at -11. But Paul Dunne, up on 15, isn’t of a mind to spurn such opportunities right now. The young amateur bumps his second onto the front of the green, but gives it a confident rap up the hill and into the cup! It’s his sixth birdie of the day, and once again he’s leading the Open, this time alongside Danny Willett! His co-leader is in a little bit of trouble down 13, short of the green in two, so he could soon have the lead all to himself. Meanwhile on 15, Oosthuizen rolls in a calm 20-footer for back-to-back birdies. He’s making his move.
-12: Dunne -a- (15), Willett (12)
-11: Spieth (F), Oosthuizen (15), Day (14)
Willett lags up the hill beautifully on 12 from 40 feet to 18 inches, saving par - and keeping his lead - brilliantly. Lawrie can’t get up and down from the side of 13. His noggin’s gone, as he stomps after the failed ten-foot par putt in the style of Monty. He’s back to -8. Schwartzel meanwhile fails to hit his putt up from the Valley on 18, and that’s a three-putt bogey. He signs for a 69, and is -8. Three bogeys in the final six holes, after a run of four birdies on the spin. His playing partner Justin Rose, however, knocks in his birdie putt, and he’s -9 after coming home in 33 for a 68. Not out of it.
That risible miss on 12 looks to have affected Lawrie’s equilibrium. He’s flailing around in a tantrum after pulling his approach miles wide of 13. He needs to simmer down, because he’s still only three shots off the lead, and has a route into the green. Birdie for Oosthuizen on 14, a gentle right-to-left curler from 12 feet. He’s -10 again. Willett powers his way from the thick stuff, over a gorse bush, and onto the front of 12. But he’s faced with a big slope before he gets to the hole. On 18, Rose clips his chip to eight feet, but Schwartzel undercooks his approach and his ball is sent spinning back into the Valley of Sin.
Willett clacks his tee shot at 11 to six feet, then pulls the short birdie putt. Not ideal. He stays a shot clear of Spieth, Dunne and Day, though for how long remains to be seen. He’s just flayed his drive at 12 into thick nonsense down the left. Schwartzel knocks in a ten-footer to save his par on 17 and remain at -9. Another birdie for Scott. This one on 13, and he’s -10. And on 14, Dunne again goes very close with a birdie putt, but this one slides by on the left from 12 feet. He stays at -11, one off the lead.
Sergio, 50 yards in front of 18, lobs up to six feet. Spieth, coming in from the right, bumps towards the flag, but his ball topples off the front and down into the Valley of Sin. He very nearly drains the putt, up the hill, with a big right-to-left break. A par, and he’s back in 32 strokes, signing for a 66. The grand slam, the impregnable quadrilateral, is still on! He’s -11. Sergio then misses his short birdie putt. That’s a disappointment, but he signs for a 68. He’s -9. A wry smile as he walks off, then a stamp of frustration. Elsewhere, Lawrie misses a birdie putt from three feet on 12. He stays at -9.
Spieth very nearly balloons his drive at 18 out of bounds on the right! He looks after it with some concern. But it’s a good ten yards inside the fence. He’ll be all right. Sergio takes the conventional route straight down the middle. On 14, Bowditch drops another stroke to slip to -8. On 16, Schwartzel responds to those back-to-back bogeys at 13 and 14 by racing one in from 40 feet! A huge smile as he walks off the green. He knows his challenge is back on track. Day birdies 13, having clipped his approach to eight feet, to move to -11. And back at 10, Willett is beginning to find his range again. Another fine short wedge to six feet. And he tickles in the left-to-right downhill putt for the outright lead!
-12: Willett (10)
-11: Spieth (17), Dunne -a- (13), Day (13)
-10: Harrington (F), Goosen (14)
Spieth finds the front of 17 in two strokes. Garcia, however, creams his iron to the back of the green, pin high. He’s left with a fairly straight 15-footer for birdie, but it stays out on the left. He taps in for the par he’d have taken back on the tee. But what an approach. Possibly the best to the Road Hole all week. Spieth meanwhile fizzes his putt six feet past. A very missable one coming back - but he slots it away without fuss, and modestly punches the air. He knows how important every shot is. A friendly fist-bump with Sergio as they leave the green. All smiles. Both men playing well. Meanwhile Lawrie and Warren have been in dire need of some inspiration, but they find it on 11, knocking in birdie putts from 20 and 15 feet respectively. They’re both -9 again.
Dustin gets up and down from the front of 9, while Willett taps in to claim a share of the lead! Meanwhile a second birdie of the day for the unusually quiet Adam Scott. To the one at 5, he adds another at 11. He’s -9. Streb misses a tiddler on 12, dropping back to -8.
-11: Spieth (16), Dunne -a- (13), Willett (9)
-10: Harrington (F), Goosen (13), Day (12)
Goosen has been quiet since that eagle-birdie whammy on 5 and 6. Pars all the way, but he’s just whipped an iron at 13 to four feet, then knocked in the birdie putt. He joins the group in second place at -10. Willett finally turns it on, wedging to two feet from 100 yards at 9. But Dustin’s mechanism has gone completely. He’s left another wedge short. This isn’t his usual meltdown territory or anything - he’s just not playing particularly well, while everyone else is trundling in birdies. His namesake Zach, incidentally, is busy performing his own tribute to Nick Faldo, who took his leave of St Andrews earlier this week. Eleven holes, 11 pars.
The 21-year-old US amateur Jordan Niebrugge birdies the last. That’s a magnificent response to bogey at the Road Hole, and a stunning card of 67. He’s -9 for the tournament, a couple off the lead - and yet he’s not leading the chase for the silver medal awarded to low amateur! The astonishing Paul Dunne, of course, still sharing the overall lead at -11. Oosthuizen dribbles a lame six-foot par putt wide right of the 12th. He drops back to -9. Pars for Dustin and Willett at 8.
Birdies on 15 for both Sergio and Spieth. Sergio’s takes him to -9, but Spieth’s earns the Masters and US Open champion a share of the lead. Day birdies the par-three 11th, moving up the leaderboard with stealth. Dunne, wedging to six feet at 12, watches in agony as his birdie putt stays high on the right by one dimple. Meanwhile Dustin Johnson, the 36-hole leader, is now one of only ten players over par today. He duffs a chip coming into 7, then wangs a useless long putt from down the front of the green miles past the flag. Four shots from 70 yards. He drops back to -9. Willett misjudges a chip into the green too, but gets up and down well to save his par and stay at -10. And a couple of others drop careless strokes. Schwartzel faffs around on the 14th green with his putter, and bogeys, dropping to -8. Bowditch misses a tiddler on 13, and he’s back to -9.
-11: Spieth (15), Dunne -a- (12)
-10: Harrington (F), Oosthuizen (11), Day (11), Willett (7)
The leader Dunne swishes his tee shot into the heart of 11, and isn’t too far away from sinking a 30-footer for yet another birdie. It stops just short, and a par will have to do. He remains at -11. His playing partner Oosthuizen - the 2010 champ very much in the shade - snatches back the shot he dropped at 8 with birdie, having put his tee shot over the flag to six feet. He’s -10 again. And on 18, Padraig lets a six-footer slide by the left of the cup, so no birdie there. He’ll be extremely content with his 65, though, which takes him to -10. That’s currently a share of second place, though he’ll likely be at least a couple behind, if not more. Either way, he’ll be a serious concern to the rest of the leaders tomorrow.
A catch-up with Paul Lawrie, who three-putted 6 to bogey and drop back to -8. He’s since parred 7. His playing partner Marc Warren has parred the last five holes straight since that birdie at 2. The Scottish charge hasn’t happened. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama has followed up birdie at 9 with another at 12. He’s -9.
The amateur Paul Dunne leads the 2015 Open Championship! He sends his second into 10 over the flag to 12 feet, then strokes in the birdie effort! Niebrugge, not to be outdone by his fellow amateur Dunne, birdies 14 to join the pack at -9. Schwartzel’s approach to 13 takes a flyer through the green, and he can’t get up and down from distance with his putter. He falls out of the pack at -10. Bowditch, meanwhile, joins it with birdie at 12.
-11: Dunne -a- (10)
-10: Harrington (17), Spieth (14), Bowditch (12), Willett (6), D Johnson (6)
Harrington has lashed his second at 17 from the rough down the left into the front of the green. He’s used the camber to take the ball round to the left, nearer to the hole. He’s got an optimistic look at birdie, from maybe 30 feet, but securing par is the whole idea down the Road Hole. He lags up to 18 inches and taps home for his par. This is a stunning round of golf from the three-time major winner.
The 22-year-old Irish amateur Paul Dunne is pitching for the role of Bobby Jones de nos jours! He’s just wedged to four feet on 9, and knocked in the birdie putt to join the leaders! This is astonishing stuff! He’s out in 32, and looks very calm and in control. This is one of the most exciting, fluid and gloriously ludicrous days in recent Open history!
-10: Harrington (16), Spieth (13), Schwartzel (12), Dunne -a- (9), Willett (5), D Johnson (5)
Updated
Pars for Lawrie and Warren on the par-five 5th. Not a disaster, exactly, but not really good enough on a low-scoring day like today. Another birdie for Lahiri, at 11, and he’s -9. But there’s hot action at the top of the leaderboard. Dustin hacks his way down the rough along the left of 5, and can only hoick his third from thick rough to the back of the green. Two putts for par, but that’s nowhere near acceptable given what everyone else is up to. Willett is a dimple away from draining a 30-footer for his eagle, and he joins his playing partner, Spieth, Schwartzel and ... Harrington, who trundles in a 50-footer across 16 for a seventh birdie of the day!
-10: Harrington (16), Spieth (13), Schwartzel (12), Willett (5), D Johnson (5)
Oosthuizen drops out of the lead as soon as he joins it. A short tiddler missed on 10, and that’s a bogey that takes him back to -9. His compatriot Schwartzel takes his place at the top, rolling in a birdie putt from 12 feet on 12. That’s four birdies in a row! How he’s responded to finding the Swilcan Burn with his opening tee shot. His partner Rose birdies too, to move to -8. Meanwhile Spieth has been going so well today ... well, this last two years, really, that the jaw drops when he makes a mistake. He sends his approach into 13 into thick rough to the left of the green. But an adroit bump down from where he finds himself, and he’s knocking in his par putt to keep hold of his share.
Back-to-back birdies for Jason Day, who strokes one in from 30 feet on 6. He’s -9 suddenly. There are 13 players within one shot of the lead! The 2009 champion Tom Watson Stewart Cink birdies the last to sign for a 68; he’s -7, and far from out of this. Bowditch races in a birdie putt from off the front of 9, up and over the ridge, and reaches the turn in 32. He’s -9 overall. This is one of the most congested Opens of all time! There’s gridlock on Moving Day!
A more realistic winner, of course, is the Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth. He’s just clipped his approach at 12 to eight feet, then stroked in a birdie putt, his third in a row. What a response to missing that tiddler for bogey on 9! He’s now the joint leader of the championship, and walks off with the widest smile on his face. A fist bump with Sergio, who is pleased for his friend. So finally, the 21-year-old sensation has a taste of the lead in an Open. Is he ever going to relinquish it, do you think? He doesn’t look like he’s in the mood to give it up quickly. But he and Dustin are joined at the top by the 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen, who is arguably in hotter form in the majors than Spieth, if you take the cut-off point as after the first round at Chambers Bay, that is. Hey, it’s almost as though statistics and data mean bugger all in the wider scheme.
-10: Spieth (12), Oosthuizen (7), D Johnson (4)
The 21-year-old US amateur Jordan Niebrugge is putting a marvellous round together. Birdies at 4 and 5, then another back-to-back burst at 11 and 12. He’s -8. Not to be upstaged, the 22-year-old Irish amateur Paul Dunne, down a swale to the front-right of 7, taps a delicious snaker up onto the top tier and into the cup for birdie! He’s -9! He’s one off the lead of the Open Championship! For the record, the last amateur to win the Open was Bobby Jones, who did it here in 1927, plus at Lytham in 1926 and Hoylake in 1930. Yes, yes, it’s unlikely, but rule nothing out, for some of these amateurs know their way around links courses.
Willett wedges to five feet from 80 yards on 4. Dustin is up next, but only gets it to 15 feet, and misses the birdie effort. He’s letting the pack close in. Willett should join him in the lead, but he leaves his short birdie putt out on the right. Birdie for Lahiri at 9; he’s -8. Harrington nearly drains a 15-footer for another birdie on 14, but he stays at -9. Schwartzel registers back-to-back birdies at 9 and 10; he’s -8. And his playing partner Rose knocks one in - using not a spare joule of energy, as it drops from 12 feet - to move to -7.
A stunning pair of tee shots on the par-three 11th from Sergio and Spieth. The former lands his pin high, 20 yards from the flag, but doesn’t quite hit the putt. He stays at -8. Spieth is half the distance inside him, and tickles the birdie effort in. He’s -9, after back-to-back birdies. Jason Day makes his first birdie of the day at 5: he’s -8. Birdie for his playing partner Streb; he’s -9. And Oosthuizen is an inch away from joining Dustin in the lead with a birdie putt from 25 feet on 6. The leaderboard is getting preposterously cluttered. And the wind is almost totally down, so the Old Course is going to be offering up a lot of birdies. Expect hectic movement.
Birdie for Sergio! He’s sent his second at 10 over the flag to eight feet, then rolled the putt back into the cup. He’s -8, just a couple off the lead, as is Spieth, who follows him in. On 4, Warren has a swing near the gorse bush, and powers his second onto the front of the green. Birdie from 30 feet is asking too much, but he’d have taken that par the minute he sliced his drive. Lawrie pars, too, and is looking super-solid today.
Nothing’s quite happening for Dustin Johnson yet. Another birdie effort goes sliding by, this time at 3, from 20 feet. He remains at -10. Willett pars too. But the field are closing in. Goosen, after sinking a monster for his eagle at 5, birdies 6 by teasing in a 20-footer from the right. He’s -9, as is his compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, who follows birdie at 4 with another at 5. He wasn’t far from Goosening in an eagle putt, too. No birdie for Padraig on 13, by the way, but he’s going very nicely, right on Dustin’s shoulder.
-10: D Johnson (3)
-9: Leishman (F), Harrington (13), Goosen (6), Oosthuizen (5), Lawrie (3), Willett (3)
Spieth misses a par dribbler at 9, his first bogey of the day. He’s back to -7, and lets his frustration show, clenching his fists and flexing his muscles in the 1890s bodybuilding style. He knew he had pushed that the microsecond it left the face of his putter, and he was stomping after it in high dudgeon. Meanwhile a spot of luck for Marc Warren on 4, as he leaks a drive wide right, and is one big bounce away from finding a gorse bush. But it snags in some grass by a dusty track. And Harrington looks to be in a tight spot down 13, but he larrups the ball out of the rough to 15 feet of the flag. Half a chance for birdie!
Phil Mickelson finishes with birdie on 18 and a 70. He’s -4, and too far behind to win a second Open. Ah well, he’ll always have that 66 at Muirfield in 2013, one of the greatest rounds in Open history. Meanwhile Paul Lawrie, the 1999 winner, lands his approach at 4 to five feet, and guides in the birdie putt from the left. He’s -9, one off the lead. Dustin and Willett have started par-par, though perhaps Johnson should have done a wee bit better with his birdie effort on 2, having lifted a wedge to six feet.
Harrington eases his second into 12 to ten feet, then slides in a left-to-right drifter for his sixth birdie of the day! He’s in a tie for second spot! Meanwhile eagle for the double US Open champion Retief Goosen on 5. He’s -8. Bowditch with a birdie at the par-five 5th, and he’s moved up to -8 as well. As has Robert Streb, with birdie at 2. Players really going hell for leather for birdies while the wind and rain are absent friends, and the going is good. As a result, this is a fairly crowded leaderboard now:
-10: D Johnson (1)
-9: Leishman (F), Harrington (12), Willett (1)
-8: Pepperell (F), Spieth (8), Bowditch (5), Goosen (5), Dunne -a- (4), Oosthuizen (4), Streb (3), Warren (2), Lawrie (2)
Lawrie nearly rakes in a long putt from the fringe at the back of 2, but settles for par. His partner Warren joins him at -8 by sticking his approach to four feet then stroking in the birdie putt. Dunne’s there too, after teasing one in from 20 feet on 4. Oosthuizen curls in a 30-footer over a couple of bumps on 4, and he joins that increasingly swollen group at -8. Sergio nearly gets involved at -8 too, but his 30-foot birdie attempt on the par-three 8th stops an inch from the hole.
Padraig Harrington! Another birdie for the 2007 and 2008 champ, this time at 10, and suddenly he’s only two shots off the lead at -8! Spieth and Sergio are making their sweet way up the board too, peppering the flag at 7, and picking up birdies that move them to -8 and -7 respectively. A fair chance that these two will keep dragging each other higher and higher. Pars for Dustin and Willett at 1.
It’s been ten years since a Scottish player finished in the top ten at the Open. That was Colin Montgomerie, who finished runner-up here to Tiger Woods back in 2005. And of course 16 years since a Scottish player won it: step forward Paul Lawrie, who did exactly that with his final-day 67 at Carnoustie in 1999, then that 4-iron during the play-off. The pair, looking to change one and perhaps both of those statistics, par the first without fuss. Then coming behind them, the final pairing of the day. Danny Willett - who has had to wait an age since shooting 66 and 69 on Thursday and Friday - clips his tee shot down the middle. Then - to great cheers - the popular Dustin Johnson follows him. Here comes entertainment!
Padraig Harrington squeezes in a 15-footer on 9, and reaches the turn in 32. He’s -7, and walks off the green with the content smile of a man who, having seen and done it all at an Open Championship before, knows he’s in proper contention here. Schwartzel and Rose birdie the par-five 5th to move to -6 and -7 respectively. Meanwhile today’s penultimate pairing are out and about: the crowds go wild for the all-Scottish duo of Marc Warren and Paul Lawrie. They both split the fairway, which is admittedly very wide, but then look at what Phil Mickelson and Charl Schwartzel got up to earlier.
Anirban Lahiri of India opened with a birdie, and he’s just bagged another at 4 after easing a beautiful approach to a couple of feet. He’s -7. Gary Woodland’s going well today: he’s just birdied 14 to move to -6 overall, having gone out in 33. Greg Chalmers of Australia is going along nicely: three under for his round through 13, and -6 overall. And Barrack-Room Brooks Koepka has just birdied 12, his third of the day, to move to -6. What’s more, he hasn’t got into a single 30-minute row with a rules official today, so well done to everyone on both sides for their restraint.
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Spieth pearls a long iron into the heart of the par-five 5th, and trundles his long eagle putt to a couple of feet. That’s a second birdie of the day for the Masters and US Open champion. He’s -7. Sergio, having missed a short one on 4, rattles in a 15-footer and he’s back to -6, a lot happier all of a sudden. Up on 18, a crowd-pleasing, crowd-teasing long birdie putt from the back by Richie Ramsay, the ball teetering on the lip for an age before dropping in. That’s a 70 for the local hero, and he’s -3. And then Pepperell rolls his putt from the Valley to three feet, and tidies up for a magical 66. Just that one tee shot at 17 away from something very, very special. Still, the young Englishman will be in the mix on the final day, at his first Open Championship, at -8.
A fast start for Steven Bowditch. He’s birdied 1 and now 3. He’s -7, alongside Anthony Wall, who has picked up another at 11 with a long right-to-left curler at the par-three. Bogey for Luke Donald on 2; he’s back to -5. Meanwhile Pepperell’s round threatens to unravel: he doesn’t go for the green at 18, leaving himself a full wedge in. He flops his second into the Valley of Sin. A difficult up and down from there, but if he makes it, he’ll be signing for a 66. “DJ’s shooting 62 today and 72 tomorrow isn’t he?” wonders Gary Naylor. Very possibly. Or 82 today and, in horizontal rain tomorrow, 62. You’d give up cash money hand over fist to watch either. You have to love the big man.
Pepperell fires a low iron into the heart of 17, but it fails, by one ball rotation, to make the top tier of the green. Two putts up, the first beautifully judged from distance, and that’s a double-bogey six. He’s back to -8. Well, if you’re going to reach the summit of golf, the lead of the Open Championship, in style, you may as well fall off it in similar fashion. Meanwhile back on the opening hole, Louis Oosthuizen pars, but his playing partner, the Irish amateur Paul Dunne, screeches a wedge to 18 inches, the approach of the day, and taps in for a birdie that takes him to -7.
A par putt for Sergio, from four feet at 4, lips out on the right. He’s back to -5. Spieth with a par, and he’s staying at -6. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama, after his magical second-round 66, continues his hot putting streak, rolling one in from 25 feet on 2 for his first birdie of the day. He’s -7.
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Oh this is heartbreaking. Pepperell has just sliced his drive at 17 into the wall of the hotel, and into the water out of bounds. He reloads, and hits a perfect, gentle fade round the corner and into the middle of the fairway. Why he couldn’t have done that 60 seconds earlier ... but just imagine the adrenalin rush of leading the Open Championship for the first time in your young career. It’s doubly sad, because a par-birdie finish would have seen him join the famous 63 group. Ah well. Meanwhile birdie for Rose on 3, and he’s -6. Schwartzel makes do with par and stays at -5.
Schwartzel sets himself up for another birdie chance with a glorious approach at 3, pin high to 12 feet. But his playing partner Justin Rose - who has been quiet so far - steals his thunder with a clip to five feet. But never mind that right now: Pepperell sends his second into the heart of the difficult 16th. Then rolls in a gorgeously weighted putt, a gentle left-to-right slider, from 40 feet! That’s his eighth birdie of the day, and he’s tied for the lead in the 144th Open Championship!
-10: Pepperell (16), D Johnson
-9: Leishman (F), Willett
-8: Lawrie
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Ryan Palmer hasn’t done a great deal on his two previous visits to the Open. He made the cut at both Sandwich in 2011 and Hoylake last year, for a top 30 and top 50 finish respectively, but this is his best showing so far. He’s on quite a birdie run right now: 9, 10, 12 and now 14. He’s -6, and the 38-year-old US journeyman is currently in a tie for 13th.
Spieth and Sergio continue to pepper the pin, Pepperell style. They’re both within 12 feet of the flag at 3. Spieth’s birdie effort slips by the left of the hole, and while Sergio’s is right at the cup, he doesn’t hit it. A pair of disappointing pars. They stay at -6. Meanwhile Schwartzel couldn’t scramble his birdie after getting wet on 1, but he sticks his approach at 2 to two feet, and taps in to bounce straight back to -5. And how’s this for a start by the 2007 and 2008 champion Padraig Harrington? He birdies 1 and 3, then very nearly rakes in a 50-footer for eagle on 5. A third birdie of the day will suffice, and he’s -6.
Eddie Pepperell is up a grassy bank to the left of the 15th fairway. But he bumps in a gorgeous shot off the hills to the side of the green, his ball curling round and settling four feet from the hole. That’s delightful. He taps in the birdie effort and, seven under for his round, is a shot off the lead...
-10: D Johnson
-9: Leishman (F), Pepperell (15), Willett
-8: Lawrie
Sergio and Spieth both take a look at birdie on 2, having eased wedges in to ten feet. Both of their putts slide by the hole. The pair were so close to the perfect start, but they’re still -6. Another birdie for Wall, this time at 6, and then he’s an inch or so away from another at 7. He’s -6. And on 18, Rickie Fowler nearly slam-dunks his approach into the cup, but it spins back to ten feet. No matter, he slots it away for a 66, which if his putter was really going, could have been at least a couple of strokes better. Marvellous golf. He’s -7, and will at least be on the fringes of contention tomorrow.
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Sheer brilliance from the amateur Ashley Chesters, who rolls in a 20-footer across 18 for birdie. That gives him a 67, and he’s -6 overall, currently tied for 12th place! He had been planning to turn pro last year, but having defended his European Amateur title and qualified again for this Open, decided to wait. Looks like a grand decision. Plenty of time to trouser the £££s he’ll surely earn with his talent. A bogey for his playing partner Andy Sullivan, who nevertheless shot 68 and is -5. Meanwhile Rickie Fowler had made it as high as -7 after birdies at 11, 13 and 15, but he’s just let a tiddler for par slip by on 17 to drop back to -6.
What about this from Patrick Reed? He’s just completed a hat-trick of birdies, on 11, 12 and 13, and he’s -6 overall. Meanwhile Leishman’s compatriot Matt Jones has started very well: birdies at 1, 4 and now 5, and he’s -6. England’s Anthony Wall has birdied 1 and now 5: he’s -5. And a poor start to Charl Schwartzel’s round, as he pulls an iron from the 1st tee into the Swilcan Burn miles to the left.
This is a strangely muted end to Marc Leishman’s round. He really has bridled at the jump, with 63 having very much been within his grasp. Perhaps even a famous ground-breaking 62. A very tentative putt up from the Valley, and he’s left with a very missable six-foot par putt. No bogeys up to this point. And happily he knocks the par saver in. That would have been a ignominious end to a spectacular round. Still, he signs for a superlative best-of-week 64, and ends his round one shot off the lead...
-10: D Johnson
-9: Leishman (F), Willett
-8: Pepperell (14), Lawrie
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What a start to Jordan Spieth’s round. He strokes in his birdie effort on 1 to move immediately to -6. But that only gets half the cheer generated by Sergio, who rakes one in from the fringe at the back for a birdie of his own! He’s -6 too. Meanwhile up on 18, history-chasing Leishman flops a chip up onto the green, but it only just gets there, and topples back down into the depression. Unless he does something very dramatic, he won’t be joining that distinguished list of major-championship 63-shooters.
So having gone out in 32, this has been quite the back nine for Marc Leishman. Birdies at 10 and 11. A par scramble at 12. A birdie at 13. Another scramble after hitting the face of a bunker with an escape at 14. Birdie again at 15. Makeable birdie putts missed at both 16 and 17. And now he’s creamed his drive into the Valley of Sin at 18. If he gets up and down from there, he’ll become the 25th golfer to shoot a 63 in a major championship. If he somehow rattles his putt or chip into the cup for eagle, he’ll be making history. Speaking of which, Ben Hogan-hunting Jordan Spieth is out and about, and he’s just landed his wedge into the 1st five feet from the flag. This could be a very interesting afternoon indeed.
Jordan Spieth is teeing off way back on the first, meanwhile, and let’s see how he can build on his current -5. Next up is Sergio Garcia, so a bit of stardust is about to be sprinkled around and here to waft it your way is, once more, Scott Murray.
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Pepperell has a mound to negotiate on the 13th, and can’t see the hole, but you wouldn’t know it as he gets mighty near it and a birdie is in sight now. An even better shot from Leishman on the 17th gives him a yet more realistic birdie shout.
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Chesters pars the 16th, continuing a round that has plateaued from spectacular to darn good. It’s been a solid back nine for him, and he remains at -6.
Now Leishman tees off on the 17th, ball up against slate grey sky. It’s long and straight; he’s having a very good day so far. Pepperell, on the 13th, enjoys a better tee shot this time although he dallied with a bunker again for a split second.
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Pepperell pars on the 12th, a satisfactory ending after that early skew into the sand.
Andy Sullivan, now, follows Chesters out of the rough with his second shot on the 16th. Both players do excellently to haul themselves onto the green.
Leishman narrowly misses a makeable birdie that would have brought him to -10, just going a couple of centimetres to the right of the hole. A shame for him and a chance missed.
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Chesters jointly leads the amateur leaderboard with Paul Dunne, by the way. Pepperell, meanwhile, chooses the tough way out of the bunker – scooping above the lip – and does so successfully, getting himself out of that early spot of bother.
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Inconvenient tee shot from Eddie Pepperell on the 12th – to a shout of “cameras away please!” – as he drags it left and it rolls down into the bunker. He’s tucked away nicely in fifth and -7 at the moment, but has a bit of work to do here.
Chesters comes very close to sinking a long put there and then finishes it off to par again; in the meantime, Richie Ramsey bogies on the 8th – I think that was his third.
We’re with Ashley Chesters on the 15th at the moment. He’s sitting on -6, equal 12th on the leaderboard, although a few pars have been choking him up a little on the back nine so far.
Indeed I will, friends. And here are a few words from Jim Furyk after his round of 66: “It feels like the temperature dropped 10 degrees farenheit. We had perfect weather for 17 holes. It’s all going to depend on what happens weather-wise. There’s going to be a lot of low scores given the weather conditions. Hopefully I have a good realistic shot to play a good round tomorrow and get in the hunt.”
Pepperell wedges to four feet at 10, and strokes the putt in without fuss. Calm as you like. That’s six birdies in ten holes, and he’s two off the lead! Meanwhile his compatriot Andy Sullivan is also making his Open debut, and also enjoying himself today very much. A double-bogey at 2 failed to ruin his mood, and he’s since birdied 5, 6, 9 and 12, then holed out from 100 yards down the fairway for eagle at 14! He’s -5.
-10: D Johnson
-9: Willett
-8: Leishman (14), Pepperell (10), Lawrie
-7: Warren, Z Johnson, Scott, Streb, Day, Oosthuizen
And with that, I’m off to be fed and watered, like a good boy. Nick Ames will be your friend for the next half hour. See you soon!
A bit of trouble for Leishman down 14. He finds a pot bunker with his second, then hits the face with his escape, though the ball does still squirt out onto the apron at the front of the green. But he rolls his long putt up to five feet, and knocks the par saver into the cup. He remains at -8. More good news for Australia at the cricket thanks to Marcus Fraser, whose birdie at 14 - a Mickelsonesque whack into the cup from 15 feet - is his fourth in six holes. He’s -5. Meanwhile Jim Furyk taps in for par on 18 and signs for a blemish-free 66. He’s -6, the new clubhouse leader. 66 -6. The sign of a very good golfer who should have won more than one major. He should have sold his soul to the devil.
Ben Martin started his round slowly with bogey at 3. But has since birdied 5, 6 and 9, and just rolled a gorgeous eagle putt up and over the hill at the front of 14 and serenely into the cup. He’s -4 overall. Eddie Pepperell reaches the turn in 31 strokes, after coming very close to birdie at 9. Another birdie for Rickie Fowler, this time from 15 feet at 13. His sixth of the day, and he’s -6 overall.
Hunter Mahan’s in with a 67. He’s alongside Duval as very early clubhouse leader on -5. On the par-five 5th, with rain rattling around his lugs, and the wind now up a tad, Mickelson races in a birdie putt that’d have gone 20 feet past had the hole not got in the way. He’s -3, and in credit for his round after that awful start.
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All of a sudden, the heavens open. It’d been super mild up until then. This probably won’t last long, and certainly won’t ruin the entire day. But a break in the action as players scramble to put up umbrellas and leap into their waterproof breeks.
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Leishman taps his birdie putt at 13 into the hole, and he’s two off the lead. This is a marvellous round by the Australian. Up on 18, McDowell - who followed up that double on 14 with another dropped shot at 15 - prods a miserable short birdie effort wide of the cup, and settles for par. His 70 could have been a whole lot better. Eight birdies, only six pars, two bogeys and two double-bogeys. He’s got a face like thunder. He’s gone right off the boil in the last couple of years, the period between his US Open win of 2010 and the near Open and US Open misses of 2012 looking increasingly like a brief golden age. Hopefully he can get things moving again soon.
The big ridge running along the front of the 12th green checks Leishman’s ball as he chips up. Has it checked his momentum up the leaderboard? A poor chip, really, and he’s lucky the ball isn’t rolling off back down the slope. He’s left himself with a 20-footer for his par. But it’s rattled into the cup, and that will feel like a birdie. And he should be adding another real one soon, having eased his second at 13 to three feet. Meanwhile Harris English has just raced a 30-footer into the hole on 11. Back-to-back birdies, following back-to-back birdies at 6 and 7. He’s four under for his round and -5 overall. His playing partner Rickie Fowler birdies 11, too, having already picked up shots at 4, 5 and 7. He’s -5, and loving links golf as he does, must be ruing his uncharacteristically bog-average opening rounds of 72 and 71.
And another birdie for Pepperell, who was in a bit of trouble near a bush down the left of 6, but wedged pin high to 12 feet, then rolled the putt straight into the cup! He’s -7 too. Meanwhile Furyk rattles in another, a 35-foot rake on 15 to move to -6. The birdies are flying in left, right and centre. I know I said this on Thursday, when a 65 was the best we could do, but could that major-championship record of 63 - which has stood since Johnny Miller’s 1973 US Open effort at Oakmont - finally fall today?
-10: D Johnson
-9: Willett
-8: Lawrie
-7: Leishman (11), Pepperell (6), Warren, Z Johnson, Scott, Streb, Day, Oosthuizen
Mickelson finally gets his putter going on 3, converting for birdie from ten feet, a gentle left-to-right slider. He’s back to -2 for the tournament. Leishman continues to make his move: he slides his right-to-left birdie effort at 11 into the cup, and he’s -7 in a tie for fourth, just three off the lead! Meanwhile a birdie at the last for Lee Westwood, who cards a 69 and moves to -3 for the championship. 2010, when he finished in second place here, seven shots behind Louis Oosthuizen, seems an awfully long time ago.
Another birdie for Eddie Pepperell. From the side of 5, he fizzes a low chip to six feet, and strokes in the putt. That’s four birdies in five holes, and he’s -6. Another birdie for Leishman, this time at 10; he’s -6 too. Leishman already has top-ten major finishes at the Masters in 2013 and Hoylake last year under his belt. And clearly fancies another. He’s got a look at birdie coming up at 11, too, a lovely tee shot clipped to 15 feet. Meanwhile a lovely par save for Furyk on 14, who splashes out from a deep bunker, then drains a 25-footer. His card is still blemish-free.
Duval clips a wedge into 18 to 15 feet, but his birdie effort shaves the left-hand side of the cup. Only a par, but that’s a stunning 67 for the 2001 champion. A broad smile at the end of that; it’s been a good morning’s work. He was out first today, but he’ll have a much friendlier, later start time tomorrow. Mickelson sends his second at 2 right over the flag to eight feet, giving himself a chance for bounce-back birdie. But he pulls his putt to the right. Never going in. He remains at -1.
Someone is going to post a very low score today. Rickie Fowler is quickly out of the blocks, with birdies at 4, 5 and now 7. He’s -4 overall. Marc Leishman is at -5, having reached the turn in 32. His fellow Aussie John Senden is -4 for his round and the tournament through 16. And the 24-year-old Englishman Eddie Pepperell, who tied for fourth at Gullane in the Scottish Open last weekend and looks a very good prospect indeed, has birdied 1, 2 and now 4. He’s -5.
Jim Furyk had reached the turn in 32. Another birdie at 12, and then he stuck his second at 13 to three feet. A sixth birdie in nine holes, surely? No, he yips it, and stays at -5. Another birdie for Chesters at 8; he joins his fellow amateur Paul Dunne at -6. Dunne’s not out for a couple of hours yet. Chesters is clearly of a mind to post a score that’ll make him think. On 17, Duval lags a long, long putt from the front of the green to make par, steadying the ship nicely after dropping one at 16. He’s -5. A birdie at the last, and the 43-year-old will card a 66.
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Phil Mickelson is out and about - and he’s pulled and thinned an iron to the right, and into the Swilcan Burn. What a start. He takes his drop and sends his third spinning from the back of the green to ten feet. He’ll at least have a putt to save his par. But it stays up high on the right, and he’s back to -1. A dismal start from a player who will have looked at the scoreboard and fancied himself to make a charge up it. Birdie for his playing partner Gary Woodland, though; he’ll move to -3, and with his distance, might back himself to pick up a few more shots today. Meanwhile Chesters, having gone close for birdie at 6, bumps up from the side of 7 to eight feet, and knocks in a nerveless par saver. And on 14, McDowell can’t get up and down from the side of the green, and cards his second double bogey of the round. He’s back to -3.
The amateur Ashley Chesters suffered at Hoylake last year. A lovely opening-round 70 was followed by a miserable 77, and he missed the cut by one stroke. He made it through this time, though, and he’s making hay: a huge raking eagle putt on 5, to go with birdies at 2 and 3, and he’s -5 overall. Chesters plans to turn pro shortly; he’s proving he can mix it here. Meanwhile another birdie effort slides by the right of the cup on 16 for Duval. He stays at -6. And McDowell’s rollercoaster ride continues: he’s driven into a bunker way to the left of 14, taken two to get out, and he’s currently down a swale to the right of the green, facing a long chip for a very unlikely par. Don’t expect good news. As we’ve seen, he’s not really doing those today.
Graeme McDowell is putting together a quite astonishing round. He’s through 13 right now, having carded only three pars. He’d reached the turn in 32, despite taking a double-bogey six on 6. He bounced back from that one with birdies at 7 and 9. And having bogeyed 10, he’s rebounded positively again, picking up shots at 11 and 13. He’s -5 for his round, and for the Championship.
Here’s some good news for the leader Dustin Johnson. When he goes out later today, the winds, light enough already, are expected to drop to practically zero. The big man will have a perfect opportunity to tame the Old Course, and build on his lead. And there’s more: the winners of the last seven majors - Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy (twice) and Jordan Spieth (twice) - have all been leading after 36 holes. And there’s even more! The last five Open champions at St Andrews - Nick Faldo, John Daly, Tiger Woods (twice) and Louis Oosthuizen - have all been leading after 36 holes too. After so many near misses in the majors - plenty of heartbreaking ones, too - could this finally be it?
Another birdie for David Duval! This time on 14. He’s motoring all right. He’s -6 for his round, and for the Championship. The last time a major finished on a Monday: the 2009 US Open, when Duval tied for second place behind Lucas Glover, and may well have won the tournament, ranked 882 in the world, were it not for a triple-bogey on the 3rd hole of his final round. That tournament was held at Bethpage Black, which like St Andrews, is a public course. A couple of omens that suggest he could do rather well today and tomorrow. Who’d deny the former world number one a little bit more glory?
With the wind and rain no longer a major factor, the Old Course’s defences are down. It looks like there are birdies out there. The 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell is doing his best to keep Northern Ireland’s flag flying in defending champion Rory McIlroy’s absence. Like Duval, he’s out in 32 strokes too; he’s -4 for his round, and for the tournament, through 11. Another former US Open champ, 2003’s Jim Furyk, has also made it to the turn in 32 strokes: he’s -4 overall. As has Graham Delaet of Canada, also at -4. This could be a day of low scores, and high entertainment. Somebody call Dr Golf: there’s an outbreak of Open Fever!
There might not have been much action yesterday, but those who waited over 10 hours for play to restart were rewarded for their patience. Sergio Garcia’s late charge up the leader board. Paul Lawrie battling his way home. Louis Oosthuizen making the eight-footer that had been a tap-in before the wind got farcical. Daniel Brooks making a hole in one at 11. But perhaps the real moment of the day came on 18, where the 2001 champion David Duval, having missed a tiddler on the Road Hole to drop below the cut line, birdied to make it to the “weekend” for the first time since 2008. One of golf’s good guys, his moment was, in its own way, as sweet and emotional as the farewells bade on the same hole to Nick Faldo and Tom Watson. Anyway, he’s taken his opportunity to remind everyone of his class: out in 32 strokes this morning, and though he then bogeyed the fairly inviting 10th, further birdies at 11 and 13 have zipped him up the leaderboard to -5!
After the meteorological tumult of Friday and Saturday, the first thing to report is that all is fine at St Andrews. It’s drizzling, but that doesn’t count as breaking news in Scotland. It shouldn’t in England either, but that’s a debate for another day. There’s also a breeze which is occasionally clipping everyone around the lug, but it’s a light cuff, nothing more. The showers are expected to continue for a while, but the likelihood is that the leaders will be going out in brighter conditions. It’s getting better all the time. Anyway, sun or no sun, it’s the business end of the Open Championship. Whatever the weather, the next two days are going to be beautiful.
How many times have you had those Sunday blues and cried: oh! Oh! If only the weekend could last another day! Well, thanks to the greatness and perfection of GOLF, your wish can finally come true. Because the weekend starts here, today, on Sunday! Moving Day, that modern third-round rebrand, has itself been moved, shifted 24 hours thanks to the rain that ruined Friday and the gales that jiggered Saturday. And the knock-on effect of this? Our usual Sunday Open treat, the final round, will be played on Monday instead. So there you have it. A three-day weekend. And all thanks to the greatness and perfection of GOLF.
So 80 players made the halfway cut. And if history is any guide, all 80 have a chance of winning the title. After all, Paul Lawrie was ten strokes back with just the one round to play in 1999; 16 years later, as he chases a second Open, ten strokes separate the entire field at the 36-hole mark. QED. And with rain expected to cause an intermittent fuss over the next two days, anything could happen out on the links. Place your bets, then. It could be one hell of a ride. It’s on!
The top of the leaderboard after the second round:
-10: Johnson
-9: Willett
-8: Lawrie
-7: Warren, Z Johnson, Scott, Streb, Day, Oosthuizen
-6: Dunne (a), Goosen, Donald, Matsuyama
-5: Bowditch, Lahiri, Ogilvy, Rose, Schwartzel, Garcia, Spieth
The third-round tee times (all BST)
8.15am: Scott Arnold, David Duval
8.25am: John Senden, Lee Westwood
8.35am: Brendon Todd, Ernie Els
8.45am: Graeme McDowell, Ross Fisher
8.55am: Billy Horschel, Hunter Mahan
9.05am: Graham Delaet, Jim Furyk
9.15am: Matt Kuchar, Bernhard Langer
9.25am: Mark O’Meara, Bernd Wiesberger
9.35am: Jason Dufner, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
9.45am: Ben Martin, Thomas Aiken
10am: Marcus Fraser, Marc Leishman
10.10am: Andy Sullivan, Ashley Chesters (a)
10.20am: Harris English, Rickie Fowler
10.30am: Henrik Stenson, Jamie Donaldson
10.40am: Francesco Molinari, Thongchai Jaidee
10.50am: Richie Ramsay, Eddie Pepperell
11am: Ryan Palmer, Patrick Reed
11.10am: Oliver Schneiderjans (a), Kevin Na
11.20am: Brett Rumford, James Morrison
11.30am: Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland
11.45am: Cameron Tringale, David Lipsky
11.55am: Ryan Fox, Greg Chalmers
12.05pm: David Howell, Stewart Cink
12.15pm: Brooks Koepka, Romain Langasque (a)
12.25pm: Anthony Wall, Matt Jones
12.35pm: David Lingmerth, Greg Owen
12.45pm: Branden Grace, Paul Casey
12.55pm: Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington
1.05pm: Webb Simpson, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
1.15pm: Jimmy Walker, Russell Henley
1.30pm: Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia
1.40pm: Charl Schwartzel, Justin Rose
1.50pm: Geoff Ogilvy, Anirban Lahiri
2pm: Steven Bowditch, Hideki Matsuyama
2.10pm: Luke Donald, Retief Goosen
2.20pm: Paul Dunne (a), Louis Oosthuizen
2.30pm: Jason Day, Robert Streb
2.40pm: Adam Scott, Zach Johnson
2.50pm: Marc Warren, Paul Lawrie
3pm: Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson
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