The Land of the Three as Jordan, Xander and Kevin aim for a flag day
Stars and stripes were everywhere you looked at Ca r n o u s t i e y e s t e rd a y as American golfers took an iron grip onthe Open Championship.
Reigning Champion Jordan Spieth shot a flawless six-under-par 65 to take a share of the third-round lead alongside fellow countrymen Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner.
The USA is enjoying a purple patch in golf having won the last five Majors and they occupy eight of the top 12 places, including a rejuvenated and returning Tiger Woods.
He fired a super 66 to end the day four back and in with a chance of claiming a Major, and few expected to happen again.
But Woods will know that Spieth will be a hard man to chase down. The defending Champion showed how desperate he is to take the Claret Jug back to Texas with a superb display.
Sporting a new haircut fresh from a local barber’s, the 24- year- old showed his intent from the very first shot when he drove the green at the 380-yard hole.
And in true Spieth style, he duly rolled the putt in for an eagle two.
When he followed that up with a birdie at the fourth, he had already caught the overnight leaders.
His next move came at the 11th when he hit a booming drive before a deadly pitch left a tap in for birdie.
Spieth gained another shot at the 14th and a gorgeous tee shot at the par-three 16th saw him find another birdie with not a single blemish on his card.
He hasn’t won a tournament since victory at Royal Birkdale 12 months ago, but he has found his form again at Carnoustie.
“I felt I had something to prove to other people with last year’s Open,” he said. “But I don’t feel I need to prove anything to anyone now.
“I feel my game is in good shape and I have an opportunity tomorrow to make it a memorable year.”
Spieth was joined at the top by Schauffele, last year’s winner of the Tour Championship, who fired an excellent 67.
While Kisner, who is sharing a house with Spieth this week, refused to give up his position. He fought hard to shoot a 68 and share or hold the lead for the third straight day.
But the real electricity of a fascinating third round came in mid-afternoon when Woods’ name appeared at the top of the leaderboard.
Tiger remains the biggest draw in golf, as could be seen by the huge galleries who followed his every move around the Angus links.
After all the injury problems he has suffered with many, including the player himself, wondering if he would ever get back to the top, this was a thrilling sight.
He had birdied two of his first six holes, but Woods really gained momentum around the turn as he birdied nine, 10 and 11.
Suddenly the old swagger was back and when he grabbed his sixth birdie of the round at the 14th, there was nobody ahead of him.
The 42-year-old dropped a shot at the par-three 16th before a brilliant up-and-down from 83 yards at the last avoided another bogey.
Woods signed for 66 and his lowest score at The Open since he won the last of his three Claret Jugs at Hoylake in 2006.
There have been lots of moments of promise during his comeback in 2018, but this was different, coming in a Major.
Andwoods was genuinely excited about what might happen in the final 18 holes.
“It would be better to be top of the leaderboard on Sunday, but I’m right there,” said the 14-time Major winner.
“I’ve got a chance at this, which is great. I’ve shown that I’ve been close enough with a chance to win this year.
“Given what happened the last few years, I didn’t know that would ever happen again. But here I am with a chance come Sunday in a Major Championship. It’s going to be fun.
“That was good. I played well today, I really did. I felt like I had control of the golf ball today and on top of that, I made some longer putts, which was nice.
“I didn’t want to be too far back. I had to stay within reach. And I’m definitely within reach.”
Yet, while Carnoustie was generous on Saturday, the Beast is expected to show its teeth today as winds of around 20mph are forecast, which should make for a dramatic final day.