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CARNOUSTIE - Sergio Garcia repelled a spectacular charge from American Steve Stricker to accelerate into a three-stroke lead after the British Open third round on Sunday (NZ time).
The 27-year-old Spaniard, who has been in front since day one, moved within touching distance of his first major victory by carding a 68 for 204, nine under.
Stricker powered through the field to take second spot on 207 after equalling Colin Montgomerie's course record of 64, seven under.
The Carnoustie crowd may be about to witness a final-day shootout between Garcia and Stricker, with seven players sharing third place on 210 including South African Ernie Els.
Also on three under after another cold and rainy day on the east coast of Scotland were Americans Chris DiMarco and Stewart Cink, Irish pair Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, Briton Paul Broadhurst and South Korean KJ Choi.
New Zealand's Michael Campbell carded a one over par 72 and is in a share for 50th place, 14 shots behind Garcia.
"I've got to hand it to Steve Stricker, having that round today," Garcia told reporters. "But it feels good to have a three-shot lead and to see the way I played today.
"The support from the crowd was amazing, coming down the 18th I got goosebumps. I felt good the last couple of days, a little bit nervous here and there, but then I seemed to relax."
Garcia, who did not drop a stroke all day, had a scare at the 17th when he hit a photographer after hooking his approach into the rough.
He went up and shook his victim by the hand before producing an immaculate recovery to two feet and sinking his par putt. The Spaniard had a good chance to go four shots clear at the last but missed his birdie attempt from 10 feet.
"You never want that to happen," said Garcia. "When you see a person lying down, it's never a good feeling.
"He was a little shaken up but when I shook his hand he told me he was fine and I managed to make a great four." Stricker's round was the best in an Open at the Scottish venue and matched the 64 returned by Britain's Colin Montgomerie at the 1995 Scottish Open.
"It was a pretty magical round and to do it without a bogey is all the more satisfying," he said.
"We have got a long way to go, 18 holes, and it would obviously be special over here in Scotland, the home of golf, to just have a chance of winning."
The American said he had mused over whether he should carry on as a professional after a period of "begging" for tournament invitations when he lost his card after 2001.
"I fell off the map for a while," said the 40-year-old. "I didn't have the desire and I wasn't really sure if this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
"At the end of the 2005 season I went back to tour school, didn't make it but then kind of re-dedicated myself to work harder."
World number one Tiger Woods, aiming for a hat-trick of Open wins, returned an eventful 69 for 212.
The American bogeyed the second but birdies at the fourth and fifth and another at the seventh sent him to the turn in a two-under 34.
In between at the sixth, Woods's ball struck a female spectator and she needed two stitches in a head wound.
"That was terrible," he said. "The lady was bleeding all over the place and I felt really bad.
"You have kind of a pit in your stomach...and I just apologised the best I could."
Woods dropped another shot at the 10th before rebounding with a birdie at the long 14th.
The 31-year-old has not won any of his 12 majors coming from behind on the final day.
World number four Els did well to stay in touch with the leaders after slumping to an eight at the long sixth.
"To make a triple-bogey on a par-five downwind is like giving three or four strokes to the field," said the 2002 champion after his six-birdie round.
- REUTERS
