Sergio Garcia could make his dream of winning a major come true today if he continues the progression of results he has experienced since Thursday’s start of this atypical British Open. His 70, 69 and 68 strokes have placed him only three strokes behind the leaders with the decisive final 18 holes at St Andrews still to play. However, the competition is fierce: the top 25 players are within five strokes of each other. In the lead, the surprising Paul Dunne, 80th in the world amateur ranking, who yesterday delivered an impeccable third round of 66(-6) to share the lead on -12 with his party mate Louis Oosthuizen, winner of the 2010 edition (the last one played at St Andrews) and Australian Jason Day, who has eight top 10s in majors since 2010.One stroke behind the leaders, Jordan Spieth is going for the grand slam with -11 after turning in another 66.
He is followed by one stroke with -10, the winner of 2007 and 2008, Padraig Harrington, after an excellent 65(-7) with no errors.
Dunne, a student at the University of Alabama, qualified at Woburn for the British Open for the second consecutive year and caddied with his teacher, Alan Murray.
This week he became the first amateur player to lead the British Open after 54 holes since the legendary Bobby Jones in 1927, on his way to winning the second of his three claret jugs at St Andrews.
Dunne came out on Thursday in the second match and started with two birdies. Then he said he hoped someone had made a screenshot of the leaderboard to show he had led the Open. Three days later, his goal is no longer the silver medal for best amateur but the claret jug itself.
“It’s not impossible, I’m very capable of doing the lap I need to win as long as the others don’t have their best day.”
“I can’t control that anymore. I can only go out and play my game…and see how far I get.”
“Leading the Open is surreal but my three rounds are very real.”
Spieth is aiming to become the first player to win the first three majors of the year and the third player to win three majors in the same season after Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods. He would also dethrone Rory McIlroy from the top spot in the world if he were to win tomorrow.
“At the moment those ideas haven’t come to my mind playing around the field, but I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.
“If I get to the home straight with options, it will be almost impossible not to think about it, so I’m going to consider it as a great opportunity.”I don’t see that pressure as something negative, but almost as an advantage, an added motivation to finish the job.
“I know that’s easier said than done. For a lot of people the added pressure is a negative thing that prevents them from playing comfortably. For me it can become an advantage, because you hit it a little harder and you can focus your mind on very specific goals and block out everything else.”
Nine players are tied for sixth place with -9, among them, apart from Sergio, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Danny Willett and another amateur, American Jordan Niebrugge.
The other Spaniard in play after the cut, Rafa Cabrera-Bello is in 45th place, with -4, after his 68 strokes in the third round.
Dustin Johnson, the leader of the first two rounds, shot a pitiful 75 yesterday and dropped back to 18th at -7, five strokes off the lead.
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