DiMarco - fancied to go close this afternoon.

the open inside track - after r3

By Harry Emanuel

There are 18 holes to go and then we shall have know the answer - who played the best strategy to win The 135th Open Championship?

There are six quality players within two shots of the lead but they can be split evenly between two groups in terms of strategy, the 'Tiger Woods Strategy' and the 'Seve Ballesteros Strategy'.

The 'Tiger Woods Strategy' is about playing conservatively. The emphasis is on getting the ball safely on the green in regulation. The key is hitting fairways with irons off the tee not only to avoid the bunkers but also the rough.

Having avoided trouble players then attempt to make up shots on the short par 4's and the par 5's which are all reachable in two with an iron.

It seems to be paying off for Tiger and he leads both the number of fairways hit and the tournament.

Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk are both happy to play this safe style of golf which is very much suited to their nature. These two shorter hitters have proved that no one type of golf/golfer is best for these Open conditions.

The only problem with this strategy is that players are constantly taking mid and long irons into the greens making it difficult to stop the ball close to the pins. Players may avoid bogey but also have less chance of making birdie.

The 'Seve Ballesteros Strategy' is more aggressive. Angel Cabrera played a practice round with Seve and asked him how to play the course to which the great Spaniard said: "The closer you get to the green the more chance you have." In his own words Cabrera has been hitting driver "whenever I can".

Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia also use this aggressive strategy as it allows them to get much closer to the greens and hit shorter irons in and hence get closer to the pins. They are bringing more birdies opportunities into play but also more chance of bogey.

Despite the rough's seemingly benign nature it is still difficult to control the spin on the ball and with these greens getting firmer and crustier ball control is crucial.

The course will be playing at its toughest today. The wind is due to pick up through out the day and we could see a North Westerly wind ('The Ugly') with gusts up to 20mph.

Below are the hole averages through three rounds.

	Hole	Yards	Par	Sc Av	Rank
	1	454	4	4.19	7
	2	436	4	4.26	3
	3	429	4	4.20	6
	4	372	4	4.04	11
	5	528	5	4.52	16
	6	202	3	3.17	8
	7	453	4	4.23	5
	8	423	4	4.00	13
	9	198	3	3.04	10
		3,495	35
	10	534	5	4.48	17
	11	393	4	4.01	12
	12	448	4	4.37	1
	13	198	3	3.13	9
	14	456	4	4.35	2
	15	161	3	2.97	14
	16	554	5	4.40	18
	17	459	4	4.25	4
	18	560	5	4.65	15
		3,763	37
		72	7,258	72.23

As we are all fully aware the course plays at its toughest at the start of play so don't be surprised to see players fall a little of the pace early and then come back into the frame.

Par 5 performance will be vital and players within two shots of the lead with three holes to go still have a realistic chance of winning.

As for which strategy is best. This is the final round of a Major in tough conditions and it is usually a question of who makes the least mistakes and in my book the winner will play the 'Tiger Woods Strategy'.

The player I like best is Chris DiMarco who admitted this week to having a helping hand after the recent death of his mother, saying: "I know there is divine intervention". And with a belief that God is on his side he could be the one they all have to beat.