Rewired Greg Norman emerged from a day of high winds and high drama at Royal Birkdale on Saturday to lead The Open after three rounds.
At 53, he stands just 18 holes away from removing Old Tom Morris from the record books after 141 years as the oldest man to win The Open.
If he can hold on to his lead, he will also be, by a distance of five years, the oldest man to win a major.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The Australian shot a 72 to take a two-stroke lead into the final day over defending champion Padraig Harrington, who also had a 72, and half-way leader K.J. Choi of South Korea, who came in with a 75.
Also remaining firmly in the hunt a further stroke back on a day when some of the world’s best golfers were blown clean off the leaderboard was little-known Englishman Simon Wakefield, one of only four players to match par.
Four players are on seven-over — 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis, England’s Ross Fisher, rising US star Anthony Kim and Swedish newcomer Alexander Noren.
“I rate that as one of the top three hardest rounds of golf that I have ever played, under the circumstances — third round of The Open,” Norman said. “It was just brutal today. I have the lead now and I have a chance tomorrow, but there is a lot of golf to be played.”
In view of the conditions, tees on the sixth, 11th and 16th were moved forward, reducing the length of the course by a total of 159 yards and several holes were repositioned to easier spots.
Gusts of up to 72kph, raised the possibility that play could be suspended at any moment if the balls were moving on the greens and on several occasions officials came close to doing so.
Overnight leader by one and bidding to become the first Asian golfer to win a major, Choi stood firm early on with pars on his first four holes to stretch his outright lead to three strokes at that stage.
Norman, with a huge gallery in tow, bogeyed the first and third holes.
But a wayward drive at the sixth lead to a double-bogey for the South Korean, followed by another dropped shot at the eighth and suddenly he was in a four-way tie for the lead with Norman, Harrington and Furyk.
Harrington fell away with a double-bogey five at the 12th where his tee-shot nestled into deep rough on a mound overlooking the green, while Furyk took a double-bogey six at the 10th followed by a bogey at the next.
They were soon being gobbled up by English journeyman Wakefield, who was safely in the clubhouse after posting a tremendous par-70 thanks to three birdies on the back nine.
Choi and Norman both came to grief with double-bogeys at the tough 10th, but “The Tank” as the former weightlifter from the South Korean island of Wando used to be known, dug deep to pull ahead again with a birdie at the 13th.
Norman matched him with one of his own at the par-three 14th.
And when Choi bogeyed the par-five 16th, Norman had the outright lead, which he held on to.
Harrington, meanwhile, finished strongly once again with birdies at 15 and 17.
US veteran Davis Love, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis were the only players other than Wakefield to match the Royal Birkdale par of 70.
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