Oosthuizen leads Morikawa by 1, Spieth by 3 heading to Sunday
Louis Oosthuizen will once again take a 54-hole lead to Sunday at a major championship, as the South African sits one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa and three clear of Jordan Spieth at the Open Championship.
Oosthuizen, who held a share of the lead after three rounds at the U.S. Open a month ago, fired a 1-under 69 to maintain the top spot on a sunny, calm day in southeast England.
After two bogeys on the back nine saw him drop into a share of the lead, Oosthuizen poured in a clutch birdie on the par-3 16th to take sole possession of the No. 1 spot.
The 38-year-old is just 18 holes away from becoming the first wire-to-wire winner at The Open since Rory McIlroy in 2014. Following his victory at St. Andrews in 2010, Oosthuizen can also become the 28th man to win golf's oldest major twice.
| Place | Player | Round 3 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Oosthuizen | 69 | -12 |
| 2 | Collin Morikawa | 68 | -11 |
| 3 | Jordan Spieth | 69 | -9 |
| T4 | Corey Conners | 66 | -8 |
| T4 | Scottie Scheffler | 69 | -8 |
| T6 | Jon Rahm | 68 | -7 |
| T6 | Mackenzie Hughes | 68 | -7 |
| T6 | Dylan Frittelli | 70 | -7 |
Morikawa overcame a difficult start to narrow the gap to just one stroke heading to Round 4. Playing alongside Oosthuizen, the 2020 PGA Champ bogeyed two of his first five holes Saturday to immediately fall off the pace.
He reversed his fortunes with the usual pinpoint irons and numerous clutch putts, going 4-under over his final 12 holes to ensure his spot in the last group again. A win Sunday would make Morikawa the first men's golfer in history to win two different majors in his first attempt.
It looked like Spieth was on cruise control for his fourth major championship during the first two hours of action Saturday. The 2017 Open Champion picked up five birdies in the first 10 holes to grab a share of the lead.
The 27-year-old faltered on the closing stretch, scoring back-to-back bogeys to end the day in front of a shocked crowd on the 18th hole. His final bogey saw him miss a two-foot putt - a result that saw him race to the practice green immediately after signing his scorecard following the round.