That vanished on the 17th when Mickelson missed the green to the left and took bogey while Stenson canned a 15-footer for birdie. Sunday will be a chance for Stenson to win his first major and put to rest questions about his ability to win a big one.
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Stenson was quickest out of the blocks, giving himself a good look for birdie at the first before draining it to immediately draw level.
However, history, and Mickelson’s favoured “Golf Gods”, are on the side of the 46-year-old left-hander, and perhaps Haas too.
It looks like a two-man race.
Check out the leaderboard at the British Open.
Johnston is quite a character.
With a comment like that he sounds like he’s from the U.S.
The British Open ambitions of Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler were derailed at “The Railway” hole.
It was even worse for Fowler. Then, after falling two behind on the 13th where Mickelson birdied and Stenson bogeyed, his response was to bounce back with a birdie two on the 14th. Fowler took an 8 to drop to 1 over, and shot 76 for a 4-over 217 total.
Royal Troon bared its teeth on Saturday as the third day of the British Open got underway in hard conditions and one of the early victims was twice major victor Jordan Spieth.
Stenson was on the verge of falling two shots behind until he holed a 40-foot par putt on the 10th.
Now, the tough part begins. “He’s one of the best to play the game in the last 15, 20 years for sure, and it’s going to be a tough match”.
Playing in the final group with Mickelson, Henrik Stenson briefly grabbed the lead with birdies on three of the first four holes.
“It would be great to hand one back to him tomorrow, absolutely”.
American Bill Haas was six shots off the lead in third, with England’s Andrew Johnston – playing in only his third major – another shot back on five under.
Jason Day being asked to explain his shock-horror shank has summed up Australia’s dismal British Open.
In a fit of anger after a poor shot, Rory McIlroy slammed his 3-wood to the ground and snapped it.
Jordan Spieth’s problem has been the flat stick with 91 putts in three rounds.
But the two-time major victor, who missed out on the play-off at St Andrews previous year by a single shot, then bogeyed the ninth and 10th and ran up a double bogey on the 11th on his way to a disappointing 72.
“It’s very straightforward in front of the greens”. On the fourth hole, Mickelson hit his tee shot into the tall grass right of the fairway, but recovered to save par.
“Phil had the edge at times but I got in my blows when they counted”.
T6. Steve Stricker (-3) T6.
Phil Mickelson has surrendered the lead at Royal Troon.
An errant drive at the 555-yard fourth hole forced Lefty to settle for a par.
Mickelson is looking to win his sixth Major to go with his three Masters, the US PGA Championship in 2005 and that Open at Muirfield.
Swede Henrik Stenson (65) was one shot off the pace while Dane Soren Kjeldsen (68) and American Keegan Bradley (68) shared third place on 135.
Reigning champion Zach Johnson of the United States sits at five-under, and all those going out later on Saturday will hope the wind has died down to some extent by then.
On Sunday, Scott found a birdie on the third hole and both he and Spieth avoided bogeys in the early going. He is 12 over par for the week at Royal Troon, his home club and where his father was club secretary. He plays on the senior circuit now. From there, I just played really solid from there on, the last six or seven holes. But it’s Scotland. Mickelson shot 63 on the only good day of weather. All the British Open lacked Saturday was a victor.
Stenson had his third straight round in the 60s-no one has ever won at Royal Troon with all four rounds in the 60s-and is at 12-under 201.
Haydn Porteous also was 3 under for his round and at 1 over.
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There was a sombre mood at the start of the day with the French tricolour flying at half-mast by the 18th green as the Open paid tribute to the victims of the Bastille Day attack in Nice. He canned the putt for par and kept his lead. They’ll continue the ball working towards the hole rather than having mounds that deflect it off into other areas. Even so, he came up with the right shots at the right time until Stenson passed him late in the afternoon. Mickelson and Stenson, the round’s final pair, will tee off about 10 a.m. ET.
