r3 - woods on top

Those who thought Tiger Woods, having grabbed the halfway lead, would turn the Open championship into a one-man show are thinking again after his rollercoaster ride at Hoylake on Saturday.

Trying to become the first man to make a successful defence of the title since Tom Watson in 1983 Woods is still out in front with 18 holes to play.

And since he has won all his 10 majors from the top of the leaderboard on the final day he remains the favourite.

But three three-putts on the back nine and four bogeys in all in a one under par 71 have kept the battle for the claret jug very much alive.

Woods, who had opened so impressively with rounds of 67 and 65, is 13 under par and keeps the one-stroke advantage he took into the day.

But now it is not only Ernie Els right on his heels.

The South African, winner at Muirfield in 2002, was a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly as well and also shot 71 to stand 12 under.

Sergio Garcia and Chris DiMarco are on the same mark, though, after shooting very contrasting rounds of 65 and 69.

Garcia's challenge for a first major was ignited by him holing his nine-iron approach to the 436-yard second for an eagle two and he was only one outside the major record with his outward 29.

DiMarco, the man who lost a play-off to Woods for the Masters last year, appeared to be slipping out of it when he covered the first 10 holes in one over. But he played the last eight in four under.

Garcia's round-of-the-day means he is the one who partners Woods on the final day. That happened in the 2002 US Open in New York, but the gap between them then was four.

This time it is only one - and Garcia, who could never get on terms at Bethpage and slipped to fourth, said: ``I guess at the end of the day you've got to believe in yourself and try to hit the right shot at the right time.

"It's definitely not easy, but this is what we practise for. You can only focus on what you are doing.''

In that US Open he sent a letter of apology to Woods after losing his temper

on the course when bad weather hit and commenting that play probably would have been stopped if the American had been on the course.

Only a week ago, Garcia was asked about the possibility of partnering Woods in the first two rounds.

"If I do that's okay - but I'd rather play with my friends,'' he said.

He was memorably second to Woods at the 1999 US PGA, playing his eyes-shut shot from the base of a tree on the 17th, but since then has had nine more top-10 finishes without winning yet.

Woods said: ``I hit the ball beautifully but didn't putt well. Three three-putts is very disappointing, but the positive thing is that I maintained the lead.

"Sergio played absolutely fantastic today under those pins [flag positions]. These are some of the most tasty I've seen in the British Open.''

Woods' policy this week is to keep his driver in the bag - he has used it just once - and he added: "My strategy is what it is. You can't alter it.''

Els admitted: "I was out of sorts - and but for my putter, I would have been out of contention.

"I'm a little bit surprised to be just one behind still. I scrapped it out and I am still there.

"It's rare you see two really low scores one after another [he also shot 65 in the second round]. I guess if Tiger can't do it it's normal.

"We didn't get off to a good start. I was all over the place, and I guess I dragged him down.

"I think we both showed a lot of character. We didn't have our best stuff but we hung in there.

"I've got to play better tomorrow and I know I can. I hope this was my off day.''

DiMarco's mother died only on July 4. But he felt it would have been her wish for him to play.

When he arrived on the first tee today he was introduced to his lady scorer and saw it as ``divine intervention'' that her name was the same as his mother's.

"That was the weirdest thing,'' he stated.

"I've met only five Normas in my life. I said to my caddie that she is out there with us. I know she is.''

Jim Furyk, playing with Garcia, and Argentina's Angel Cabrera are only one shot further back after 66s. Cabrera is trying to emulate compatriot Roberto de Vicenzo, winner of the last Open at the Royal Liverpool Club back in 1967.

Els was probably unaware going out of the full statistics on how good Woods

has been in the past with the lead in a major - but he knew it was impressive.

The facts are these. On the six previous occasions Woods has been in front at halfway - either outright or jointly - he has always gone on to win. When it comes to leading after three rounds it is 10 out of 10.

In 2000 - the best season of Woods' career so far - Els was second to Woods in the US Open at Pebble Beach and the Open at St Andrews.

Els' victory in the 2002 Open at Muirfield ended a wait of five years for his third major. But to his disappointment and frustration, no more have followed yet - while Woods has moved into double figures.

Winning again in the championship he first played as a 19-year-old amateur would, of course, satisfy Els no matter whom he beat to the claret jug. But to do it in a battle with Woods would top anything else he has achieved.

Els went with driver off the first tee but found the left-hand rough, went from there into a bunker and failed to get up and down.

It cost him second place as Garcia completed with his front-nine 29 with another superb iron shot to four feet.

When Woods then bogeyed the second and Els made a 30-footer for birdie the three of them were level at 11 under.

That became four when Furyk, out in 31 himself, made a 15-footer on the 393-yard 11th.

Els remained on terms with a 15-footer at the fourth, after visiting his second bunker of the round, then had a close call with the gorse down the long fifth.

But he went bounding through the green from there - and with him only parring, Woods two-putted for the birdie that gave him the outright lead once more.

That instantly became two - just. He liked his tee shot to the 202-yard sixth the second it left the club, but from four feet the ball was on its last roll when it dropped.

Els was in big trouble at the seventh, driving into gorse and putting his third into the same bunker Woods found. But it was the American who had the tougher recovery shot - and after he bogeyed, Els made a curling nine-footer which meant he did not lose any more ground.

With a five-foot birdie putt on the ninth, Els matched Woods' outward 35, and his hopes were boosted when the holder missed a three-foot birdie chance at the next.

It was the start of things to come. Woods missed from similar distance at the 14th and from six feet on the 17th - but he matched Els' closing birdie to end the day as he started it.

That is, except in one respect. His confidence on the greens had taken a battering.

Collated results from the third round of the 135th Open Golf Championship, RoyalLiverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Liverpool, England

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72 (x) denotes amateurs):

203 Tiger Woods (USA) 67 65 71

204 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 68 71 65, Chris DiMarco (USA) 70 65 69, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 65 71

205 Jim Furyk (USA) 68 71 66, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 71 68 66

206 Hideto Tanihara (Jpn) 72 68 66

207 Mark Calcavecchia (USA) 71 68 68, Adam Scott (Aus) 68 69 70

208 Andres Romero (Arg) 70 70 68, Greg Owen 67 73 68, Peter Lonard (Aus) 71 69 68, Robert Allenby (Aus) 69 70 69, Jerry Kelly (USA) 72 67 69, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 70 66 72

210 Scott Verplank (USA) 70 73 67, Simon Khan 70 72 68, SK Ho (Kor) 68 73 69, Tim Clark (Rsa) 72 69 69, Keiichiro Fukabori (Jpn) 67 73 70, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 68 72 70, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 71 69 70, Ben Crane (USA) 68 71 71, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 68 69 73

211 Andrew Marshall 72 71 68, Hunter Mahan (USA) 73 70 68, Jeff Sluman (USA) 71 72 68, Anthony Wall 67 73 71, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 68 71 72, Brett Rumford (Aus) 68 71 72, Graeme McDowell 66 73 72, Robert Rock 69 69 73

212 John Bickerton 72 70 70, Lee Slattery 69 72 71, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 71 71, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 66 72, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 70 69 73, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 69 70 73

213 Simon Wakefield 72 71 70, Simon Dyson 74 69 70, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 71 71 71, Andrew Buckle (Aus) 72 69 72, Stephen Ames (Can) 70 71 72, Phil Mickelson (USA) 69 71 73, Mike Weir (Can) 68 72 73, Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) 71 68 74, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 70 76

214 Sean O'Hair (USA) 69 73 72, Rod Pampling (Aus) 69 71 74, Mark Hensby (Aus) 68 72 74

215 Paul Broadhurst 71 71 73, Luke Donald 74 68 73, Brandt Jobe (USA) 69 71 75

216 John Senden (Aus) 70 73 73, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 72 71 73, Lee Westwood 69 72 75, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 70 71 75

217 Todd Hamilton (USA) 72 71 74, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 72 71 74, Chad Campbell (USA) 70 73 74, Tom Watson (USA) 72 70 75, (x) Marius Thorp (Nor) 71 71 75, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 73 68 76

218 Fred Funk (USA) 69 74 75, Mark O'Meara (USA) 71 70 77, David Duval (USA) 70 70 78

220 Vaughn Taylor (USA) 72 71 77, Bart Bryant (USA) 69 74 77, (x) Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 73 70 77

221 Paul Casey 72 70 79, Marco Ruiz (Par) 71 70 80