July 20th 2013, Muirfield, Scotland: Lee Westwood’s long wait to win a Major might soon be about to end.
The 40 year-old from Worksop carded a one under par 70 on the third day of the 142nd Open Championship and will go into tomorrow’s final round with a precious two shot lead over World No. 1, Tiger Woods.
Woods started the day tied with Westwood on two under par 140 but fell behind with a 72 that left him tied with Hunter Mahan on one under par 212.
All three leading competitors will be anxiously looking over their shoulders tomorrow because, just three shots behind the English leader, lies Masters champion, Adam Scott, who also carded a one under par 70 and is in perfect place to claim his second Major title of the year.
Swede Henrik Stenson, America’s Zach Johnson and Ryan Moore, and Angel Cabrera from Argentina all share fifth place on one over par 214, while one shot behind lurk Phil Mickelson and Francesco Molinari.
Westwood is the only man in history to have claimed top-3 finishes in all four Majors without recording a victory but he will never get a better opportunity to consign that statistic to history after a gutsy round which started with a bogey on the 377-yard par-4 3rd but was followed up with three birdies and an eagle over the next 14 holes.
“Tomorrow the plan will be to make sure I don’t get in my own way mentally,” said the Englishman, who finished second behind Louis Westwood at the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews. “You just need to focus on the job in hand and believe you’re good enough.”
“I played nicely today,” he added. “I didn’t hit too many bad shots. My short game was sharp and I made some nice putts.”
Woods has not won a Major since the 2008 US Open but he has another opportunity to take his haul to 15 after adding a 72 to his opening rounds of 69 and 71.
He started his third round brightly with a birdie on the 364-yard 2nd, dropped shots on the 4th and the 7th but then recorded his second birdie of the day on the 554-yard 9th to go out in 36. He went on to card seven consecutive par figures before letting a shot slip on the 575-yard par-5 17th where he hit his second shot into a bunker and then failed to get down in two from just off the back edge of the green.
“I’m pleased where I’m at: I’m only two back and there’s only one guy ahead of me,” he said. “I’ve got 14 of these things [Majors] and I know what it takes to win them. But it’s not just two of us. There’s a bunch of guys who have a chance to win this tournament. All of us need to play really well to win it tomorrow.”
Woods has never won a Major he has not led going into the final round.
Mahan finished tied-4th at the recent US Open and he will have another real chance to collect a maiden Major title after carding a fine three under par 68 which included an improbable 50-foot putt for a birdie on the 364-yard par-4 2nd hole.
“That was a bomb,” admitted the 31 year-old from Colleyville, Texas. “Obviously, the course is difficult, so any score in the red is good. I played real solid tee to green. I hit a lot of solid shots and the putter was very strong.”
“I feel comfortable with my game and excited about the opportunity,” he added. “I just have to go out there (tomorrow), trust it and let it happen.”
Reigning Master Champion, Adam Scott, moved to within touching distance of the exorcising the ghosts of Lytham 2012.
The Australian, who lost a four shot lead over the last four holes 12 months ago in Lancashire, had started the penultimate round in a share of 11th place four shots out of the lead but shot up to fourth place on level par 213.
“It was a good round of golf today,” he said. “I hit a lot of really good shots and made a couple of putts.
“It’s a good feeling to be sitting here in this position. I think I said in here on Wednesday it would be a fairytale if I could win tomorrow. But they do occasionally happen, so I’m not counting myself out.
“I have got nothing to lose tomorrow and a Major to gain. Hopefully, I can play enough quality shots to be in the hunt right at the end.”
Ernie Els’ second reign as Open Champion looks to be over despite carding a one under par 70 that saw him finish the third round on five over par 218.
“I think that was pretty solid for me,” laughed the 43 year-old from Johannesburg who had been thoroughly disillusioned after opening with a pair of three over par 74s. “I think I made three bogeys and four birdies. I’m trying to make a move but I keep shooting myself in the foot.
“I’m not going to give up altogether,” he added. “You never know what might happen if I’m within 6 or 7. I’m not saying it’s going to happen but it did happen last year. Somebody might get hot. I’m just hoping that it’s me.”
Hideki Matsuyama became the first competitor to be penalised one shot for slow play at this year’s Championship. The 21 year-old Japanese player and his partner, Johnson Wagner, were put on the clock on the 15th hole because they were 15 minutes over the scheduled time. Matsuyama’s first bad time was recorded on his first putt on the 15th. The group were still out of position and his second bad time was applied on his second shot to the 17th. That resulted in a one shot penalty being added to his score on the 17th hole which became a six.
The penalty meant the Japanese player carded a one over par 72 and he finished the day in the group on three over par 216.
Scotland’s Martin Laird also received a one stroke penalty on the 10th hole today. Prior to his third shot he marked his ball in the rough and purposely touched and moved it slightly to identify it. Under Rule 12-2 a player cannot touch or lift the ball unless he announces his intention to a fellow player in advance. He failed to do so and therefore incurred a one-stroke penalty.
It was not the best of days for the US-based Scot because he also run up a nine on the par-3 3rd on his way to carding an 81.
