Anybody’s game
CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND —Final rounds of the British Open at Carnoustie are historically weird and wondrous.
The table again looks set for something memorable.
Heading into Sunday, the Open leaderboard was a densely packed mix of players on the rise, established threats and megastars from different golfing generations: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and again, at long last, Tiger Woods.
Spieth, a leader of the new wave, has not won a tournament since last year’s British Open as he has struggled, above all, with his putting. But he was pressure-proof on Saturday with a bogey-free round of 65 that gave him a share of the lead at nine under par with two fellow Americans, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner.
Kevin Chappell, another American, is in fourth place at seven under, followed by Francesco Molinari of Italy at six under and seven players at five-under: Woods, McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar and Tommy Fleetwood.
Still in touch at four-under is Justin Rose, the English star who broke loose in calm conditions on Saturday morning to shoot a 64, the lowest score of the day.
Although the wind picked up in the late afternoon, Carnoustie was far from its nastiest, and it has generally been a long way from brutal.
In 1999, when the Open returned to this small coastal town after a 24-year hiatus, the winning score was six over par.
Through three rounds this year, 39 players are under par, and Saturday’s average score of 70.228 on the par-71 layout made this the first round of any British Open at Carnoustie with an average under par.
The course, which has inflicted so much pain through the decades, was certainly there for the birdieing.
“It was the day to be aggressive today,” Molinari said. “There was not a lot of wind, and after the rain, yes, the course is a little bit softer.”