[The Open] Oosthuizen Leads for Third Day "This Time?"... Morikawa in 2nd Place

149th D-Open Day 3 1-Under Par "Wire to Wire Victory GO", Spieth's Late Charge from 3rd Place

Louis Oosthuizen is teeing off on the 11th hole on the third day of the 149th Open. Sandwich (England) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Wire to wire reservation."

‘Shrek’ Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) dominated the top of the leaderboard for the third consecutive day. On the 18th (Korean time), at the Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England (par 70, 7,189 yards), he added 1-under par on the third day of the final major of the 2021 season, The Open Championship (total prize money $11.5 million), taking a one-stroke lead (12-under par 198). World No. 4 Collin Morikawa and No. 2 (11-under par 199), and Jordan Spieth (all from the USA) are chasing from third place (9-under par 201).

Oosthuizen made an early surge with 6-under par on the first day, followed by 5-under par on the second day, and on this day, he combined 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. He gained momentum with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 7 and 9, but it was rather unfortunate that bogeys came on holes 11 and 13 in the back nine. He managed to make an under-par score with a birdie on the final 16th hole (par 3). His iron shot green hit rate dropped to 61.11%, causing relative difficulty. For now, he has a chance to reclaim the title for the first time in 11 years since his 2010 victory.

It is interesting that Oosthuizen achieved the unique record of ‘runner-up career grand slam’ in 2017. It started with a 2nd place at the 2012 Masters. He repeatedly tasted defeat at the doorstep of victory with ties for 2nd at the 2015 US Open and The Open, and a tie for 2nd at the 2017 PGA Championship. This year, he also finished runner-up consecutively at the PGA Championship in May and the US Open in June. He added his determination, "This time, I will definitely win."

Morikawa scored 2-under par, and Spieth also posted 2-under par. ‘US Open champ’ Jon Rahm (Spain) is a dark horse. He challenges for ‘back-to-back major wins’ from a tie for 6th place, 5 strokes behind (7-under par 203). ‘Number 1’ Dustin Johnson struggled with 3-over par and dropped to a tie for 18th place (4-under par 206), and ‘Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau (both USA) fell to a tie for 64th place (3-over par 213). Korea’s An Byeong-hun (30, CJ Logistics) remained tied for 44th place (even par 210).

‘Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau is teeing off at the 6th hole on the third day of the 149th Open. Sandwich (England) = Getty Images / Multibits

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