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British Open Final Round: Pivotal Title Up for Grabs | British Open Final Round: Pivotal Title Up for Grabs |
(35 minutes later) | |
As a compelling pack of leaders teed off in the final round of the British Open on Sunday, the psychological battle seemed to present as steep a challenge as Muirfield’s unforgiving course. | As a compelling pack of leaders teed off in the final round of the British Open on Sunday, the psychological battle seemed to present as steep a challenge as Muirfield’s unforgiving course. |
That, of course, is natural when the 54-hole leader is a 40-year-old Englishman who has never won a major in 62 tries, Lee Westwood having littered them with heartbreak along the way. But now, after shooting a nervy one-under 70 in the third round on Saturday, he has a chance to change all that, provided he conquers his nerves, the course and the field. | That, of course, is natural when the 54-hole leader is a 40-year-old Englishman who has never won a major in 62 tries, Lee Westwood having littered them with heartbreak along the way. But now, after shooting a nervy one-under 70 in the third round on Saturday, he has a chance to change all that, provided he conquers his nerves, the course and the field. |
He teed off with the lead at three under for the tournament. He is playing with Hunter Mahan, who has also never won a major, but with far less career heartache so far. He started at one under. | He teed off with the lead at three under for the tournament. He is playing with Hunter Mahan, who has also never won a major, but with far less career heartache so far. He started at one under. |
After routine pars on the first two holes, Westwood ran into big trouble on No. 3. His drive went into the right rough, his next shot went even wider left, scattering fans in the rough to the left of the green. He couldn’t hit the par-saving putt and dropped a shot to two under. | |
A bogey on No. 2 dropped Mahan back to even par. He was passed by Henrik Stenson, who used birdies on Nos. 1 and 3 to surge to one under. His long birdie putt on No. 1 seemed to give him a jolt of confidence while other players were faltering early. | |
Among those were the second-to-last group of Tiger Woods and Adam Scott. Woods has his own battle going on, trying to snap a five-year drought in majors at age 37, his once dominant career hitting an extended rough patch. He tries to exude the old confidence, although he is two shots behind and has never won a major without at least a share of the 54-hole lead. | |
Woods started off poorly despite a great tee shot on No. 1, he walked off that hole with a bogey after a poor approach. A bogey on No. 4 dropped him back another stroke. | |
Scott started off three shots behind Westwood, having broken through for his first major victory at this year’s Masters, but he has some psychological baggage of his own: having blown a chance at victory at last year’s British Open by squandering a four-shot lead with four holes to play to lose to Ernie Els at Royal Lytham. | Scott started off three shots behind Westwood, having broken through for his first major victory at this year’s Masters, but he has some psychological baggage of his own: having blown a chance at victory at last year’s British Open by squandering a four-shot lead with four holes to play to lose to Ernie Els at Royal Lytham. |
Scott immediately had a bogey on No. 1 to start off on the wrong foot again this year. He had another bogey on No. 4. | |
Phil Mickelson, who started five shots off Westwood’s lead, had a birdie on No. 5 with a great approach shot hit out of the rough to the left of the fairway that gave him a short birdie putt. He is at one over. | Phil Mickelson, who started five shots off Westwood’s lead, had a birdie on No. 5 with a great approach shot hit out of the rough to the left of the fairway that gave him a short birdie putt. He is at one over. |
The hottest player early on was Ian Poulter, who put together a scintillating run mid-round with an eagle on No. 9 followed by birdies on No. 10 and 11. He is five under for the round to reach even par. He barely missed a birdie on No. 12 after a great approach shot on the par-3. |