Open Championship: Day 3

Something happened to Brandt Snedeker on his way to a potential major win. The course at Royal Lytham St. Annes got him.

After 40 holes without carding a bogey, the wheels seemingly fell off the Sneds-mobile. And you know the saying “when it rains, it pours”? Well, it applies to Snedeker’s day and not the once again good weather conditions. After making his first bogey on the 5th, he would bogey five of the next nine holes. During that stretch, Snedeker’s only saving grace was a birdie on the par-5 7th.

Your overnight leader will be the same as the overnight leader after the first round, Adam Scott. And Scott has a four shot lead over the pair of Snedeker and Graeme McDowell. While SNedeker was faltering, Scott was doing the opposite in building a lead. For the same stretch of holes that saw Snedeker play in +5, Scott gained 7 strokes by playing the same in -2.

Snedeker would gain 2 shots back over the final three holes. That might be a positive for him to sleep on.

As does McDowell as he played the inward nine in -3 and accounted for the day’s lowest round with a 3-under-par 67. Birdies on 13, 14 and 17 put him in position to play along side Scott in the final pairing.

But as the round was drawing to an end, there was the potential of a Scott/Tiger Woods final pairing. The only thing that prevented such was a Woods bogey on the 15th. Had he parred the hole, he would be at -8 and paired with Scott…and his former “employee” Steve Williams.

Oh that would have crated a stir, but I honestly don’t believe it would have for the parties that may have been involved. That situation was “resolved” at The Presidents Cup. Any and all would have been the result of over-reaction by those that enjoy stirring the pot. I think Woods and Williams have moved passed it all. There still could be harboring feelings, but at this point, I don’t believe it’s in anyone’s best interest to have such be public.

ESPN’s Rick Reilly stated he had a piece all completed on the matter. Now, it’s either in his drafts or trash folder.

The final three pairings are as follows (all times are local):

2:10 PM – Ernie Els and Zach Johnson (-5)
2:20 PM – Woods (-6) ad Snedeker (-7)
2:30 PM – Scott (-11) and McDowell (-7)

The five players (other than Scott) must go low…and the weather conditions may not be as cooperative as they have been the first three rounds. Winds are predicted to a little more prevalent. The forecast calls for winds between 10-18 MPH. The players haven’t had to deal with winds as much as they have in other Opens. Granted, this locale usually doesn’t have the winds as others, but there has been virtually no wind over the first three rounds.

If the winds do pick up, you have to lean toward the likes of McDowell, Woods and Els. Of course, they need Scott to be off his game, also. I single out those three among the final six for varying reasons.

For McDowell, he can play in the wind and less than ideal conditions. Some will point to that he is from Northern Ireland, but let’s not dismiss the conditions at Pebble Beach when he won the 2010 US Open. Granted, he shot a final round 74, but as other players were playing more over par, he maintained just enough.

Els has won an Open Championship (2002 at Muirfield) and has fared well in others. He owns 13 top-10 finishes aside from his won.

And for Tiger, well, it’s not because he’s Tiger. This is a different Tiger. He can call on his experience…and he must if he’s to get #15.