Louis Oosthuizen is 18 holes away from hoisting the Claret Jug for a second time in a career that’s been marked by so many just-misses in the majors.
The 38-year old South African, who finished runner-up at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, produced a 1-under 69 on Saturday to secure the marquee position on 12-under par.
“Go one better,” said Oosthuizen, when asked what he’s learned from his two recent runner ups.
“You know, finishing second isn’t great, so I will play my heart out tomorrow and see if I can lift the Claret Jug again.”
He added, “I think all of us are just human to think of lifting the trophy, and that’s going to be in your mind. But I think you just need to know it and how to handle it.
“Once we get on the golf course, it’s all golf.
“You need to believe that you can lift the trophy, as well, and if you think about it beforehand that you might win this championship.
“I think that’s great, and you have to believe you can do it.”
He will be paired once again with American star Collin Morikawa, who shot 68 to reach 11 under, just one off the pace.
“I’ve never been in the position all the previous other times,” said Morikawa, who’s playing in his first Open Championship.
“To be honest, you build a game plan and we see what we need to do all the way the tournament and I stick to it.
“That is exactly what I am going to try and do tomorrow.
“Obviously being in a final round at a major is different, but I’m going to try and keep it as similar as possible to every other tournament I’ve played.
“Hopefully trust the process and just be committed with that.”
Jordan Spieth was tied with Morikawa at 11 under, but bogeyed the final two holes to post 69 and drop to solo third on 9-under par.
Corey Conners (66) and Scottie Scheffler (69) were then 8 under, one clear of a trio tied for sixth on 7 under, which included Jon Rahm (68), Mackenzie Hughes (68) and Dylan Frittelli (70).
Justin Harding (67), Cameron Smith (68) and Marcel Siem (70) rounded out the top-10 leaders.
The 2021 Open Championship
Third-Round Leaderboard: Top-10
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 3)
1. Louis Oosthuizen -12 (-1)
2. Collin Morikawa -11 (-2)
3. Jordan Spieth -9 (-1)
4. Corey Conners -8 (-4)
4. Scottie Scheffler -8 (-1)
6. Jon Rahm -7 (-2)
6. Mackenzie Hughes -7 (-2)
6. Dylan Frittelli -7 (E)
9. Cam Smith -6 (-2)
9. Marcel Siemo -6 (E)
9. Justin Harding -6 (E)
Notables
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 3)
12. Webb Simpson -5 (-3)
12. Daniel Berger -5 (-2)
12. Shane Lowry -5 (-1)
12. Paul Casey -5 (E)
12. Andy Sullivan -5 (+1)
18. Robert MacIntyre -4 (-5)
18. Danny Willett -4 (E)
18. Emiliano Grillo -4 (+2)
18. Dustin Johnson -4 (+3)
25. Matt Fitzpatrick -3 (-3)
25. Matt Wallace -3 (-1)
25. Justin Rose -3 (E)
25. Brooks Koepka -3 (+2)
33. Viktor Hovland -2 (-1)
33. Tommy Fleetwood -2 (E)
33. Tony Finau -2 (+2)
41. Rory McIlroy -1 (-1)
41. Ian Poulter -1 (+1)
44. Justin Thomas E (+1)
44. Lee Westwood E (+2)
44. Sergio Garcia E (+3)
58. Xander Schauffele +2 (+2)
58. Joaquin Niemann +2 (+3)
58. Adam Scott +2 (+3)
58. Billy Horschel +2 (+3)
64. Bryson DeChambeau +3 (+2)
64. Richard Bland +3 (+3)
64. Padraig Harrington +3 (+3)
73. Rickie Fowler +6 (+5)
Material from the R&A Communications was used to compile this report.
