Scott clings to lead at windy British Open

LYTHAM, England (AFP) –

Adam Scott (right) of Australia shakes hands with Brandt Snedeker of the US on the 18th green after their third round at the British Open Golf Championship. Scott teed off with a four-shot lead in the final round of the 141st British Open on Sunday as winds from the Irish Sea intensified and tension grew around a closing drama at Royal Lytham.

Adam Scott clung to a four-shot lead in the 141st British Open at the turn of Sunday’s final round as brisk Irish Sea winds and Royal Lytham’s pesky pot bunkers sent scores soaring.

Six days after his 32nd birthday, the Australian could take the Claret Jug and his first major title by breaking through in his 46th major start, but plenty of work remained as an electric back-nine drama prepared to unfold.

Strong breezes after three days of near-perfect conditions played havoc with all the leaders, essentially leaving Scott the edge he had when the day began.

After a roller-coaster start, Scott stood on nine-under par after nine holes with playing partner Graeme McDowell, the 2010 US Open winner from Northern Ireland who was second at last month’s US Open, four adrift in second.

Tiger Woods, a 14-time major champion seeking his first major title since the 2008 US Open, shared third with three-time major winner Ernie Els of South Africa and American Brandt Snedeker, all on four-under par on the back nine.

Darren Clarke holds the Claret Jug after winning the 2012 British Open Golf championship. Australia’s Adam Scott could capture the Claret Jug on Sunday

Woods was battling to stay in contention a triple-bogey nightmare at the par-4 sixth, a hole he had birdied in each of the first three rounds.

It was the first triple bogey by Woods in a major since the first hole of the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George’s.

Scott missed a four-foot par putt to bogey the first hole, answered with a birdie at the second, but took bogeys at the third and sixth to open the door to any rival who could handle the course and conditions.

McDowell took a bogey at the second and another at the sixth when he found a bunker, could not escape it, then blasted the ball inches from the cup. He added a birdie at the eighth but took a bogey at the ninth.

Adam Scott plays a shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during his third round at the British Open Golf Championship.

Els made bogeys at the second and ninth holes but began the back nine with a birdie to keep himself in the mix.

Snedeker opened with six pars but found a fairway bunker on his way to a double bogey at the par-5 seventh, which he had birdied in each of the first three rounds, and took another double bogey at the eighth to slip back.

Woods, who made a spectacular hole-out from a bunker at 18 Friday, escaped a bunker to save par Sunday at the second but saw his hopes dim in a greenside bunker at the sixth.

Woods tried to blast out but instead hit the ball off the front wall of the bunker and barely evaded it as it rebounded into the sand behind him.

Stretching out on his knees on the grass above the bunker, Woods punched the ball off the top lip of the bunker and onto the green, but missed a four-foot putt and settled for triple bogey.

Woods birdied the par-5 seventh and followed a bogey at the par-3 ninth with a fout-foot birdie putt at the 10th.

Sunny skies again greeted players but wind whipped at trousers and pin flags to indicate the trouble for leaders, with gusts up to 35 mph expected over the closing holes of the year’s third major championship.

Plenty of last-day shotmaking was yet to play out over the bunker-strewn links layout to decide who joins a list of legendary Open winners at Royal Lytham including Seve Ballesteros, Bobby Jones, Gary Player and Tony Jacklin.

Scott has won six times in eight situations where he has led entering the final round of a tournament, with his most recent triumph being at last year’s World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

The past three Australians to lead a major after 54 holes — Greg Norman, Stuart Appleby and Aaron Baddeley — were unable to hold on for the victory.

But Scott has looked solid all week as he tries to become the fifth Aussie to capture the British Open, the first since Norman in 1993. Others include Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle and Ian Baker-Finch.

Scott, who took a bogey at 18 on Thursday to settle for a course-record six-under par 64, would be the 16th different winner in the past 16 majors and the third champion in the past four majors to use a long belly-style putter.