Red-hot Sullivan’s getting in the swing
ANDY SULLIVAN warmed up for a crack at landing the Claret Jug next week with a scorching third-round 67 on a cold and blustery day on the east coast of Scotland.
The Englishman had the best of the conditions in the morning with the wind and rain picking up for the later starters.
And he made the most of it, firing six birdies and an eagle to get to seven under, just two shots back from 54-hole leaders Andrew Dodt, Ian Poulter and Callum Shinkwin.
It could have been even better for the Ryder Cup star but for a bogey, double-bogey run on the 16th and 17th before an eagle on the 18th where he holed out from the bunker.
Sullivan, 30, had a long wait on the 18th tee as Ross Fisher was looking for a ball and he admitted the chance to calm his temper after that poor run may have saved his tournament.
He said: “It was a good way to finish and good after putting in all that hard work with the weather. And I got my rewards in the end.
“I knew 16 and 17 was going to play tough. I just didn’t expect to hit it in the bunker for the third day in a row on 17.
“We had a bit of a wait on the 18th tee which probably did me a world of good and got my head back in the frame because I was absolutely seething standing on the tee.
“If I had to hit that tee-shot within a couple of minutes, I’m not sure it would have hit the fairway.
“When we started it was very drizzly with not much wind, so I was thinking, ‘Let’s make hay while it’s like this’.
“I got off to a really good start and took advantage of that, so I was really happy.
“Through the middle part of the round, the rain really started to get up and I thought, ‘Just try and pick off the par fives on the way in’, which I did really well.”
Sullivan will head to Royal Birkdale next week for his third appearance at The Open and was delighted to get his links game in order ahead of a Major championship where he has two top-30 finishes.
“Links golf is one of them where you can just have little bits of fortune,” he said.
“You can get some poor shots and the contours take it quite close and hit great shots and it goes in the bunker.
“You have to be massively patient out there and pick and choose when you feel you can be aggressive.
“It’s done us a world of good going into The Open, playing these last few weeks getting used to links golf and the aspects of trying to use the contours instead of just flying it all the way through the air.
“It’s nice to get those shots in the bag for next week.”