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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 chased the British Open title on Sunday, the psychological battle seemed as steep a challenge as Muirfield’s unforgiving course.As a compelling pack of leaders chased the British Open title on Sunday, the psychological battle seemed as steep a challenge as Muirfield’s unforgiving course.
That is what happens when among those fighting for the lead is a 40-year-old Englishman who has never won a major in 62 tries, having littered courses with heartbreak along the way. But now, after shooting a nervy one-under 70 in the third round on Saturday, Lee Westwood can change all that, if he can conquer his nerves, the course and a strong field of contenders. That is what happens when among those fighting for the lead is Lee Westwood, a 40-year-old Englishman who has never won a major in 62 tries, having littered courses with heartbreak along the way. He had a three-shot lead at one point early in the round, but when he began to falter, he found himself battling a crowd of accomplished competitors, all with a bit of psychological baggage of their own.
Through 13 holes, Westwood was one shot behind leaders Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson at one-under par.
Scott, who has his own tales of woe in his British Open history, having famously squandered a four-shot lead in the final four holes last year at Royal Lytham, had grabbed the lead with a string of four birdies in five holes mid-round, dropped it when he sent atee shot wildly right on the par-3 No. 13 and missed a par-saving putt.
Scott did break through his major drought at this year’s Masters and last year’s Open collapse seems to have been relegated to long-term memory. He seemed to be going entirely the wrong direction early in his round with two bogeys, but got hot with three straight birdies to close the front nine .
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 to the left of the green. The resulting bogey didn’t seem to derail him, because he got the stroke back with a dramatic birdie on the par-5 No. 5, despite driving into a fairway bunker.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 to the left of the green. The resulting bogey didn’t seem to derail him, because he got the stroke back with a dramatic birdie on the par-5 No. 5, despite driving into a fairway bunker.
But what was a three-shot lead on the field completely disappeared when he staggered to bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, the one on No. 7 coming when he needed two shots to get out of one of Muirfield’s golfer-swallowing greenside bunkers. He sank a wobbling putt for a disaster-avoiding bogey, but his next bogey dropped him into a tie for the lead with Adam Scott. His lead disappeared, though,when he staggered to bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, the one on No. 7 coming when he needed two shots to get out of one of Muirfield’s golfer-swallowing greenside bunkers. He sank a wobbling putt for a disaster-avoiding bogey, but his next bogey dropped him i back and another bogey on No. 13 had him looking up at the lead.
Scott 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, turned himself around with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 7, 8 and 9 to get back to one under. Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson, who started five shots off Westwood’s lead, was surging into contention for his first Open title. He 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. Picture-perfect approaches and consecutive birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 pulled him to one under. He made great par-saving putts on Nos. 15 and 16 to keep himself tied for the lead.
One shot back was a group including of Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Hunter Mahan. 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 and settled for a four-under 67 to settle in at one over.
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. A picture-perfect tee shot on the par-3 No. 13 produced another birdie to put him within sniffing distance of his first Open title. Among those struggling early was 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. A birdie on No. 9lifted him back to one over, but he followed immediately by missing the next two fairways for two more bogeys.
The hottest player early on was 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 and settled for a four-under 67 to settle in at one over.
Among those struggling early was 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. A birdie on No. 9lifted him back to one over, but he followed immediately by missing the next two fairways for two more bogeys.