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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 chased British Open title on Sunday, the psychological battle seemed 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 is what happens when your leader is a 40-year-old Englishman who has never won a major in 62 tries, Lee Westwood having littered the courses 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, if he could conquer his nerves, the course and a strong field of contenders.
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. Westwood ran into the first test of his nerves on No. 3 when 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.
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. He got it back, however, in dramatic fashion on the par-5 No. 5, despite driving into a fairway bunker. He hit an excellent shot out, then put his 3-iron approach to eight feet from the hole and sank the putt for a mood-lifting birdie to get back to three 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. He needed every last bit of nerve not to let that completely slip away on No. 7, when he needed two shots to get out of one of Muirfield’s golfer-swallowing greenside bunkers. His second try rolled to six feet from the cup and he sank a wobbling putt for a disaster-avoiding bogey.
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. That left him with a one-shot lead over his nearest pursuer, 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. He swapped a bogey and birdie on Nos. 8 and 9 to sit at one under.
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. One shot behind Stenson was a surging Adam Scott, who seemed to be going entirely in the wrong direction with two bogeys early in his round. But Scott, who so memorably squandered a four-shot lead in the final four holes of last year’s British Open at Royal Lytham. But he turned himself around with consecutive birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to get back to even.
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. One shot behind Scott was a group including Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter.
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. 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. Another birdie on the par-5 No. 9 moved him up closer, although he followed with a poor tee shot on No. 10 for his first bogey of the day.
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 and his momentum seemed to stall there. He had a bogey on No. 16.
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. Among those struggling early Tiger Woods, who is trying to snap a five-year drought in majors at age 37, his once dominant career hitting an extended rough patch.
Woods started off poorly despite a great tee shot on No. 1, he walked off that hole with a bogey after a poor approach. Bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6 dropped him back further.