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'Nearly man' Johnson Ready to Seize Open
Open Championship Third Round Scores
Fowler Draws on Ryder Heroics to Inspire Open Charge
Open Championship Final Round tee Times
Clarke Poised for Open Glory
SANDWICH, July 16, 2011 (AFP) - Darren Clarke rode a wave of fan support to grab the lead after a storm-hit third round of the British Open on Saturday, setting up the prospect of an emotion-charged climax to the tournament.
The 42-year-old Ulsterman, one of the most popular sportsmen in Britain, carded a 69 over the Royal St George's links in Kent to take the outright lead at five under par.
That was one stroke clear of Dustin Johnson of the United States, who had a 68. Two strokes further back came young American Rickie Fowler, who had a 68 and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn with a 71.
On one under were Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (72) and Lucas Glover of the United States (73).
US Open champion Rory McIlroy struggled to a 74 and at four over his chances of winning back-to-back Majors appear to have disappeared.
It was a day when the vicissitudes of seaside, links golf in a British summer were in full evidence.
The early starters played in some of the worst weather to hit The Open in years, while hours later the leaders went round, for the most part, in shirt sleeves under patches of blue sky and in splashes of sunshine.
"Obviously if somebody had given me 69 before I was going out to play, I would have bitten their hand off for it," Clarke said.
"Saying that, we did get very fortunate with the draw. Sometimes to win any tournament the draw can make a big difference, but in the Open Championship it makes a huge difference.
"We got very lucky. We started off in terrible conditions and then it sort of cleared up after four or five holes."
Clarke and Glover started the day as joint leaders at four under par, but the 71 players who made the cut were separated by just seven strokes making it one of the most open of Opens in recent years.
The Irish Ryder Cup hero started with a birdie and with Glover quickly falling behind, he had a short birdie putt at the fourth to go three strokes clear of the field, but missed it.
The 27-year-old Johnson, who went close to winning his first Major at both the US Open and the PGA last year, emerged from the chasing pack and he and Clarke vied for the lead for most of the afternoon.
The big American came in with a fine 68, which left him at four-under for the tournament, one behind Clarke at that stage.
The Irishman parred his way in from the 13th to put himself in pole position to finally win The Open at what is his 20th attempt. He finished tied for runner-up in 1997 and tied for third in 2001.
"The Open is the biggest and best tournament in the world," said Clarke.
"I've failed 19 times to lift the Claret Jug, and tomorrow I have an opportunity, but at the moment it's just an opportunity."
Johnson, who has been feeling under the weather all week, said that the experience he gained in the Majors last year would prove to be invaluable.
"Obviously I've been in this situation a few times, so I think the more and more you can put yourself in a situation, the more comfortable you get," he added.
"I'm going to be pretty comfortable out there tomorrow because I know what to expect."
Fowler's round of the day was all the more impressive in that it was crafted in the teeth of the storm as the two superstars of golf's new generation went head to head for the third straight day.
After holding on for a par 35 on the front nine, the 22-year-old Californian took revenge on the course as soon as the weather started to improve by bagging three birdies in four holes from the 13th.
"It was awesome out there. I hit a lot of good shots. Obviously a couple of poor ones, but we were able to make up for it and stay away from making big numbers out there," Fowler said.
"I'd love for my first win to be a major, and I'd love for it to be here."
McIlroy bemoaned hitting out of bounds with his drive at the par-five 14th having battled hard to stay in contention.
"You've done so well for 13 holes to keep yourself in it, and then to hit you've got half of Kent on your left and you hit it right, it was a bit disappointing. Yeah, it was a tough one to take," he said.
"I'll need a good one tomorrow, and if it doesn't look like I can win, I'll try my best to get a Top 10 or a Top 5."
At the opposite end of the age scale it was another stellar day for 61-year-old Tom Watson.
The American legend, who came within one putt of winning a record-equalling sixth British Open at Turnberry two years ago, took on the elements with a smile on his face and he was rewarded with a superb 72 to leave him at four over.
'Nearly man' Johnson Ready to Seize Open
SANDWICH, July 16, 2011 (AFP) - Dustin Johnson is ready to shed his 'nearly man' tag as he lurks menacingly on the shoulder of British Open leader Darren Clarke heading into Sunday's final round.
The big-hitting 27-year-old American was the undisputed hard-luck story of 2010, coming agonisingly close to breakthrough major victories at the US Open and US PGA Championship only to fall short.
But Johnson showed great character to thrust himself into the reckoning at Royal St George's on Saturday, where a two-under-par 68 saw him finish the day on four under, just one behind Clarke.
Johnson said we would learn from his near-misses last season as he planned to hunt down Clarke on Sunday.
"Obviously I've been in this situation a few times, so I think the more and more you can put yourself in a situation, the more comfortable you get," Johnson said. "I'm going to be pretty comfortable out there tomorrow because I know what to expect. I know how to approach it, and I know what I do in those situations. "So I do understand it, so hopefully I can go out tomorrow and play some solid golf like I've been doing the last few days.
"But it's just another round of golf. I need to keep doing what I'm doing, stay focused one shot at a time and just take what the golf course gives me."
If Johnson succeeds on Sunday, few could begrudge him a victory which would represent a gutsy comeback following his travails of 2010.
He had looked certain to land a first Major at the US Open at Pebble Beach last year, when rounds of 71-70-66 gave him a three-shot lead over Graeme McDowell heading into the final round.
But a calamitous 82 in the final round left him tied in eighth spot while McDowell stole in to claim the title.
Worse was to follow in the in the final round of the PGA Championship, where Johnson took a one-shot lead heading to the 18th the final hole.
A bogey appeared to have done enough to earn him a place in a three-way play-off with Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer.
But a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker meant he was ruled out of the play-off, eventually won by Kaymer.
This week at Sandwich he has battled through a mystery virus to put himself in the reckoning on the final Sunday of a Major for the third time in little more than a year.
"Still not 100 per cent, but each day has got a little bit better. Thursday I felt terrible, yesterday I felt pretty good, today I feel okay," added Johnson, who also struck a hole-in-one during Thursday's opening round.
Open Championship Third Round Scores
SANDWICH, July 16, 2011 (AFP) - Collated scores from third round of the 140th British Open at par-70 Royal St George's here Saturday:
205 - Darren Clarke (NIR) 68-68-69
206 - Dustin Johnson (USA) 70-68-68
208 - Rickie Fowler (USA) 70-70-68, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 65-72-71
209 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 66-71-72, Lucas Glover (USA) 66-70-73
210 - Anthony Kim (USA) 72-68-70, Phil Mickelson (USA) 70-69-71, Anders Hansen (DEN) 69-69-72, George Coetzee (RSA) 69-69-72, Davis Love III (USA) 70-68-72, Martin Kaymer (GER) 68-69-73
211 - Zach Johnson (USA) 72-68-71, Ryan Palmer (USA) 68-71-72, Tom Lehman (USA) 71-67-73, Chad Campbell (USA) 69-68-74
212 - Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 74-67-71, Simon Dyson (ENG) 68-72-72, Webb Simpson (USA) 66-74-72, Steve Stricker (USA) 69-71-72, Adam Scott (AUS) 69-70-73
213 - Fredrik Jacobsen (SWE) 70-70-73, Yang Yong-Eun (KOR), 71-69-73 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 71-67-75
214 - Tom Watson (USA) 72-70-72, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 70-72-72, Charles Howell III (USA) 71-70-73, Richard Green (AUS), 70-71-73, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 70-70-74, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71-69-74, Robert Rock (ENG) 69-71-74, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 68-70-76
215 - Bo Van Pelt (USA) 73-69-73, Bubba Watson (USA) 69-72-74, Yuta Ikeda (JPN) 69-71-75, Tom Lewis (ENG) 65-74-76
216 - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 72-70-74, Richard McEvoy (ENG) 69-72-75, Noh Seung-Yul (KOR) 69-72-75, Robert Allenby (AUS) 69-72-75
217 - Gary Woodland (USA) 75-68-74, Peter Uihlein (USA) 71-71-75, Mark Wilson (USA) 74-68-75, Gary Boyd (ENG) 71-70-76, Jason Day (AUS) 71-70-76, Kyle Stanley (USA) 68-72-77, Jeff Overton (USA) 68-71-78
218 - KJ Choi (KOR) 71-72-75, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 72-71-75, Jim Furyk (USA) 72-70-76, Kenneth Ferrie (ENG) 71-71-76, Stewart Cink (USA) 70-71-77, Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 70-71-77, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 71-70-77
219 - Ryan Moore (USA) 69-74-76, Floris De Vries (NED) 70-73-76, Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 69-74-76, Harrison Frazar (USA) 72-70-77
220 - Simon Khan (ENG) 71-72-77, Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 68-75-77, Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 73-70-77, Ricky Barnes (USA) 68-74-78
221 - Paul Casey (ENG) 74-69-78, Gregory Havret (FRA) 72-71-78, Bill Haas (USA) 72-70-79, Justin Rose (ENG) 72-70-79, Joost Luiten (NED) 73-69-79
222 - Spencer Levin (USA) 72-69-81
223 - Matthew Millar (AUS) 71-72-80
224 - Paul Lawrie (SCO) 73-70-81
225 - Hwang Jung-Gon (KOR) 68-74-83
Fowler Draws on Ryder Heroics to Inspire Open Charge
SANDWICH, July 16, 2011 (AFP) - Rickie Fowler is taking inspiration from his memorable Ryder Cup debut as he prepares to mount a final-round assault for his maiden tournament victory at the British Open.
Fowler upstaged tournament favourite Rory McIlroy in the duel of the young guns at Royal St George's on Saturday, shooting a two-under-par 68 in demanding conditions to vault up the leaderboard.
It was the latest impressive display on British soil by the confident 22-year-old from California, who recovered from a poor start at St Andrew's last year to shoot 67-71-67 over the final three rounds.
Fowler also stood out after being picked as a wildcard for the United States' Ryder Cup defeat to Europe last September, when he reeled off four birdies in the final four holes to halve his match with Edoardo Molinari.
An echoe of that barnstorming finish at Celtic Manor was in evidence at St George's on Saturday, when he nailed birdie putts at the 13th, 15th and 16th to move to within two shots of the lead.
Fowler said the memory of his nerveless Ryder Cup display would stand him in good stead for Sunday's final round.
"That's probably an experience I'm going to draw on for the rest of my life," he said. "Although it was only to halve a match, I was four down with not very many holes to play and three down with three to play.
"I hit some great shots under the conditions and made two good putts on 17 and 18. How calm I felt there will definitely help me draw off that experience and hopefully go into tomorrow and be as calm as I was there."
But while Fowler was contemplating challenging for the lead on Sunday, McIlroy was all but resigned to admitting failure in his attempt to back up his US Open win last month with a British Open crown.
McIlroy, who started the day four off the pace at level par, never really got to grips with the demanding conditions before carding a four-over-par 74, leaving him four over for the tournament after 54 holes.
That aggregate left the 22-year-old needing a huge turnaround on Sunday if he is to overhaul the leaders who are several strokes clear of him.
A bogey on the opening hole was the shape of things to come and another bogey on three deepened his problems.
He bagged his first birdie of the day at the par-five seventh, only to give up his gains immediately with a bogey at the eighth.
Another string of pars over the next four holes kept McIlroy in touch, but the potential death knell to his Open hopes came at the 14th, where he drove his tee-shot out of bounds before eventually recording a double-bogey seven.
"It's a big setback," McIlroy said. "I obviously wanted to go out and get myself closer to the lead and not further away from it.
"I wasn't able to do that and I'll need a good one tomorrow, and if it doesn't look I can win, I'll try my best to get a top 10 or top five."
Open Championship Final Round tee Times
SANDWICH, July 16, 2011 (AFP) - Tee-times and pairings for the final round of the British Open here on Sunday (All times local, GMT + 1):
0800 - Hwang Jung-Gon (KOR)
0810 - Paul Lawrie (SCO), Matthew Millar (AUS)
0820 - Spencer Levin (USA), Joost Luiten (NED)
0830 - Justin Rose (ENG), Bill Haas (USA)
0840 - Gregory Havret (FRA), Paul Casey (ENG)
0850 - Ricky Barnes (USA), Fredrik Hed Andersson(SWE)
0900 - Simon Khan (ENG), Gregory Bourdy (FRA)
0910 - Harrison Frazar (USA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA)
0925 - Floris De Vries (NED), Ryan Moore (USA)
0935 - Rory Sabbatini (RSA), Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
0945 - Stewart Cink (USA), Kenneth Ferrie (ENG)
0955 - Jim Furyk (USA), Henrik Stenson (SWE)
1005 - KJ Choi (KOR), Jeff Overton (USA)
1015 - Jason Day (AUS), Kyle Stanley (USA)
1025 - Gary Boyd (ENG), Mark Wilson (USA)
1040 - Peter Uihlein (USA), Gary Woodland (USA)
1050 - Robert Allenby (AUS), Noh Seung-Yul (KOR)
1100 - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Richard McEvoy (ENG)
1110 - Yuta Ikeda (JPN), Tom Lewis (ENG)
1120 - Bo Van Pelt (USA), Bubba Watson (USA)
1130 - Robert Rock (ENG), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)
1140 - Sergio Garcia (ESP), Rory McIlroy (NIR)
1155 - Charles Howell III (USA), Richard Green (AUS)
1205 - Tom Watson (USA), Trevor Immelman (RSA)
1215 - Yang Yong-Eun (KOR), Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
1225 - Fredrik Jacobson (SWE), Adam Scott (AUS)
1235 - Webb Simpson (USA), Steve Stricker (USA)
1245 - Simon Dyson (ENG), Raphael Jacquelin (FRA)
1255 - Tom Lehman (USA), Chad Campbell (USA)
1310 - Ryan Palmer (USA), Zach Johnson (USA)
1320 - Martin Kaymer (GER), Davis Love III (USA)
1330 - George Coetzee (RSA), Anders Hansen (DEN)
1340 - Anthony Kim (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA)
1350 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP), Lucas Glover (USA)
1400 - Rickie Fowler (USA) Thomas Bjorn (DEN)
1410 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Darren Clarke (NIR)