Spieth in three-way tie at British Open, as Tiger fires up
Jordan Spieth has a share of the lead in the British Open and a big edge in experience. Still only 24, he has already won three majors and his name is the last one etched on the base of the silver claret jug.
One name in the mix makes it all feel so new.
"I've always wanted to battle it out in a major with Tiger. Who hasn't?" Spieth said after the young Texan seized upon a calm Carnoustie for a 6-under 65 to tie for the lead with Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele.
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"It's kind of a dream come true just to have the opportunity."
Woods feels the same way.
Never in the mix at the Masters, gone by the weekend at the US Open, the 14-time major champion surged into contention on Saturday with a 66, his lowest round on a weekend at a major in eight years.
He didn't have the best score. He was four shots behind.
But he's Tiger Woods, and it felt like that again to thousands of fans who crammed along the fairways and behind the greens as Woods ran off three straight birdies around the turn and then two-putted for birdie on the par-five 14th to work his way into a tie for the lead, even if that lasted for only 20 minutes.
"I've shown that I've been there close enough with a chance to win this year," Woods said.
"Given what happened the last few years, I didn't know if that would ever happen again. But here I am with a chance coming Sunday in a major championship. It's going to be fun."
It was every bit of that on Saturday, a rare day when Carnoustie had little defence.
Justin Rose, who made the cut on the number with a birdie on his final hole, matched the Carnoustie record for the Open with a 64.
Spieth set the tone in the afternoon when he decided on the way to the first tee to hit driver on the 396-yard hole. He sent it bouncing and rolling along the firm turf, down a hill and onto the green to about 10 feet away for an eagle.
Moments later, Woods began his charge to get into contention at a major for the first time in five years.
It never stopped. Seven players had a share of the lead at one point. Kisner, who started the third round tied for the lead, was never far away but had to work hard to stay there.
He made a tough par save on the 17th, and then got up and down from behind the 18th green for a 68.
Schauffele, the PGA Tour rookie of the year last season, holed a 30-foot putt from behind the 18th green for a 67.
They were at 9-under 204.
"We've got pretty much a new tournament tomorrow," Spieth said.
A dozen players were separated by four shots, which is nothing considering the past two British Open champions at Carnoustie rallied from 10 shots (Paul Lawrie) and six shots (Padraig Harrington) on the final day.
The wind is expected to be the strongest it has been all week. And then there's the presence of Woods, playing in the third-to-last group.
Woods started quietly enough with a few birdies through eight holes. He started his move with a 40-foot birdie putt on number nine, followed with short birdie putts on the next two holes and with a two-putt birdie on the par-five 14th, he put his name atop the leaderboard.
It was there for only 20 minutes. But it was there.
A bogey on the 16th and a par save from short of the Barry Burn on the 18th gave him a 66. He figured it would at least keep him in range.
He wound up as close to the lead as he has been in a major since he was two behind at Muirfield in the 2013 British Open.
"I'm right there," he said. "I've got a chance at this, which is great."
And he has company.
Kevin Chappell, who spent most of his round watching Spieth put on a show, birdied the 18th for a 67 and was two shots behind.
Francesco Molinari had a 66 and will play in the same group with Woods. They were last together three weeks ago when Woods presented him the trophy at the National after Molinari shot 62 for an eight-shot victory.
Twelve players were separated by four shots, a group that includes Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Zach Johnson.
Scott charges onto Open leaderboard
Also there is Australia's Adam Scott.
After so many heartbreaking near misses, Scott craves a British Open Claret Jug to go with his 2013 Masters jacket and gets another shot on Sunday after clawing his way onto the leaderboard at Carnoustie.
Scott hung tough to eke out a 3-under-par 68 on Saturday that left the former world number one five shots behind entering the final round.
McIlroy and the resurgent Woods — who topped a major leaderboard for the first time in five years during his vintage round of 66 — are 5-under and one in front of Scott.
Runner-up in 2012 and a last-day leader in 2013 and 2015, Scott has given himself a fighting chance once again of becoming the first Australian since his childhood idol Greg Norman, a quarter of a century ago, to win the Open.
But Scott knows the golfing gods will need to smile on him.
"I'm going to have to have an amazing round to get myself in it," he said.
"I don't know what I want, a lot of wind maybe to get it trickier, but I'm just going to have to find that great round of golf."
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Young gun Lucas Herbert is Australia's only other realistic hope after climbing to two under with a brilliant eagle the highlight of a second successive round of 69.
Marc Leishman found himself nine strokes off the pace despite also shooting a third-round 69, while Jason Day is 10 back after a disappointing 72.
A number of contenders dropped shots on a day when there was no time to be going backwards. McIlroy was within two shots of the lead until bogeys on two of his last three holes for a 70 left him four behind.
Johnson, staying in the same house as Kisner, Spieth and four other Americans, had thrilled the crowd when he sank an enormous eagle putt on the sixth to take a share of the lead at 7-under.
However he then hooked his approach on number 12 and three-putted for a double bogey.
He shot 72 and was in the group four behind. Joining them was Tommy Fleetwood, who dropped three shots in two holes on the back nine on his way to a 71.
Of the five players separated by three shots, only Spieth has experience winning a major.
He will try to become the first player since Harrington in 2008 to win golf's oldest championship in consecutive years.
This is the 16th time he has been in at least a share of the lead in the majors in the five years he has been playing them on a regular basis. And it's the first time he has had to look over his shoulder at Woods.
AP/AAP
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