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Scott stands on the brink of Open glory as Lawrie laments putting woes

 141st Open Championship - Round ThreeEdge of glory: Adam Scott, above with caddie Steve Williams, is 18 holes away from being Open champion

Adam Scott is on the threshold of winning his first major championship after a fine two-under-par 68 gave him a four-shot lead going into the final round of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Scott, who started round three one shot behind playing partner Brandt Snedeker, reeled off three birdies in his first 11 holes, with a bogey on the par-4 13th the solitary blemish on his card.

With American Snedeker slumping to a disappointing 73, it is Scott who will be the man to catch in tomorrow’s final round and, if he is able to see out the win, the 32-yearold from Adelaide will become the fourth Australian to claim the Claret Jug and the first since mentor Greg Norman in 1993.

“I think 68 pretty accurately reflects the way I played,” said Scott after his round.  “I certainly made a couple of nice putts. I may have left a few chances out there, but it was all pretty solid stuff, considering the circumstances and how much trouble there is on this golf course.”

“A four‑shot lead doesn’t mean a lot the good part is if I play a solid round of golf tomorrow, it will be very hard for the others to beat me, and that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Scott is making his 46th appearance in a major and, though he has long been touted as a potential major champion, his best finish to date is a single runner-up spot in the 2011 Masters. He has seven major top tens in all, with his best finish in the Open to date being a tie for eighth at Hoylake in 2006.

However, in caddie Steve Williams, he has a man who has experienced countless major wins in the past, including 13 alongside former employer Tiger Woods. Scott admits that the New Zealander has made a big difference to his game since they teamed-up full-time just under a year ago.

“It’s absolutely a team effort, just like it is with every player and caddie,” said Scott. “Steve has been great and we’re working well together. We both think we’re on the same page a lot of the time which makes life a little easier on the course and he’s been a great motivator for me.”

Scott added that he is unworried by forecasts of windier conditions for tomorrow’s final round. He said: “It could be a bit different but I’m looking forward to tomorrow full-stop. It’s a great position that I am in. I’ve been working hard for it and I’m very excited about teeing off late and hopefully playing a really good round of golf.”

If Scott is to win, he will have to see off Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who will partner him in the final grouping. The 2010 US Open champion recovered from being one-over after five holes to post a 67 and reach seven-under-par for the tournament. A victory for McDowell – sitting in second place alongside Snedeker – would see him replace compatriot Darren Clarke as the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’, the second time in two years that Northern Irish golfers have succeeded each other as major winners.

Tiger Woods, meantime, is sitting in fourth on six-under after an eventful level-par round of 70. Just five shots behind, the 14-time major winner can absolutely not be ruled out as a potential winner.

Additional reporting by Robin Barwick

(Story courtesy of Mercedes-Benz, patron of the 2012 Open Championship. The new Mercedes-Benz City Golf App is now available on iTunes.)

Paul Lawrie’s hopes of winning a second Open Championship appear to be all but dead and buried after a disappointing third round of six-over-par 76 put him on two-over-par for the tournament.

Lawrie, winner of the Claret Jug in 1999 at Carnoustie, begin the penultimate day just four shots adrift 36-hole leader Brandt Snedeker. However, a horror back nine – which included a triple-bogey seven on the final hole – left his title hopes in tatters, with the Aberdonian lamenting a dismal putting display.

“I putted awful out there,” said the Scot. “I think that’s the worst I’ve ever putted in a tournament. Never, ever, ever in my career have I misjudged so many putts. It was just frightening. I did a lot of putting this morning and rolled it really good. I made sure I spent time this morning working on that and it felt good going out there but I was just horrible with the putter. Pity.”

Heard many people talking this week about how small a site Royal Lytham & St Annes is? Maybe it is – but it’s packing the people in.

Over 37,800 excited spectators went through the paygates at the Lancashire club to watch the third round, bringing the total for the week (including practice days) to just over 143.800.

That is up on last year’s total of 141,900 for the comparative time period. The only difference? The host venue 12 months ago – Royal St George’s – is a vastly bigger piece of real estate than Royal Lytham.

Well done to the people of North West England for getting right behind this year’s tournament.

141st Open Championship - Round Three

The worst score of the third round? Sadly, that dubious honour must go to Scotland’s Martin Laird. Starting the day on one-under-par for the tournament, the Glasgow man, above, had two halves of 41 for a 12-over 82 which dropped him back to 11-over for the tournament and, worse still, left him propping up the leaderboard.

Five bogeys and four doubles did the damage with a solitary birdie at the par-3 12th the only chink of light in an otherwise forgettable day for the likeable Scot.

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Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered

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