From Paul Gallagher, at Lytham
Darren Clarke went on the rampage with a blitz of birdies during the early stages of his third round of the Open at Lytham but a bogey at the last left a sour taste in the mouth for the Dungannon man who still remains in contention.
After just seven holes Clarke had moved himself into a share of the of the lead with overnight leader Colin Montgomerie on seven-under.
The charge came by way of an opening 25 foot putt at the second before going on to put a string of three birdies together from the fifth.
In that, he almost made eagle at the par five sixth but his 30 foot putt pulled up agonisingly short. A bogey at the ninth gave Clarke an outward nine in three-under 32.
The back nine was mundane in comparison to the front. A run of eight pars concluded with a somewhat clumsy and unnecessary bogey at the last.
"I had 68 yards left to the flag from my drive," said Clarke but his pitch which looked all over the flag kept running and finished off the back of the green. From there he putted up short and missed the next.
"I played lovely all day and had a lot of birdie opportunities but to finish with a bogey and 69 in the way I did is very disappointing," said Clarke afterwards.
He is still only one shot of the lead shared by four others - Ian Woosnam, David Duval, Bernhard Langer and Alex Cejka - and the game plan will remain the same:
"Tomorrow I will play the same way and just hope that it is good enough," said Clarke who couldn't hide his frustration at the way he finished.
Veteran Des Smyth proved he still has the stamina to mix it with the young guns. After yesterday’s low round of the day 65, the 48-year-old added a 70 to move to four-under.
"I was never in trouble on the course," explained Smyth, "but I did struggle a bit on the back nine."
He got to the turn in two-under with a couple of two’s at the start and end of the nine. On the first he drained a putt from 25 feet for a birdie two then had the same feat, this time from 40 feet at the ninth.
Smyth came back in one-over but the par he made at the last felt like a birdie to him. In the thick yet wispy rough he did well to get out never mind put himself in a position for par.
"If you offered me 70 before going out I would have taken it," said Smyth who has the top 15 as his target.
"My target is now to finish in the top 15 and maybe something like a 69 would do it and that would be great."
Paul McGinley started with a mixed bag, soon made progress, then fell away in much the same way as he did at the end of yesterday’s round.
The Dubliner had to settle for another 72 and with it he dropped back to level par. He birdied the first then bogeyed the third and fourth but got back on level terms by holing a birdie putt of at least 30 feet at the fifth.
He eventually reached the turn in two-under 33 but his ‘Achilles Heel’, the final stretch, did much of the damage once again. Another birdie at the 11th got the 33-year-old to four-under but then he gave it all away with two bogeys and a double-bogey in the last four holes.
His compatriot Padraig Harrington also had a poor day signing-off for a 74 to drop to two-over. The Dubliner went out in three-over 38, thanks to bogey's at the second, seventh and a double-bogey at the eighth with one birdie squeezed in at the sixth.
Harrington returned in level but the damage was already done by then and he offered several explanations for the collapse:
"I struggled with my concentration again today and I also putted badly," said Harrington.
"I had nothing to lose and I went for it and I will do the same again tomorrow.
Despite feeling irate stepping off the last green, Clarke is still very much in contention, more so than he probably would have imagined at the time considering the final groups still had to finish. And as for Des Smyth, currently tied 14th and only two behind, he is still living the fairytale. Surely he couldn’t win it, could he?