2016 British Open: Saturday Birdies & Bogeys

By Golf Digest

Who were the winners and losers on Day 3 of the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon? Let's take a look with our daily roundup of birdies and bogeys.

TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 16: Henrik Stenson of Sweden walks onto the fifth green during the third round on day three of the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon on July 16, 2016 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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Birdie: Henrik Stenson

That he counts for one half of a twosome that has pulled three lengths ahead of everyone else at Troon shouldn't be surprising. The 40-year-old Stenson is that good, and has been for some time. But after a sluggish showing in each of his six previous majors, Stenson knew his window to capture a big one was closing, and he's played with a heightened sense of urgency this week. Paired with Mickelson, Stenson never stopped putting pressure on the five-time major champion Saturday. For one of the game's best ball-strikers, it was some clutch putting that helped him pull a stroke ahead at day's end. The reward for his three-under 68 is another spot in the final pairing with Mickelson, and a chance at his first career major. Our guess is he'll be up for the challenge. -- Sam Weinman

Birdie: Phil Mickelson

He's no longer in the lead thanks to Stenson besting him by two, but Mickelson will tee off Sunday at Troon in the final group. That Mickelson beat par is somewhat of a wonder given his ball-striking issues on Saturday, as the 46-year-old hit only eight fairways and 10 greens in regulation. Yet as is often the case at the Open, it's not about the birdies, but avoiding the big score. In spite of his erraticism, Mickelson carded just two bogeys on the afternoon, putting himself in position to win his sixth major championship. -- Joel Beall

Bogey: Rory McIlroy

Starting his day at two under par, McIlroy needed a 67 to put pressure on the Open leaders. Instead, McIlroy turned in a 37 on the front side -- the easier of Troon's nines -- ultimately posting a third-round 73. The four-time major winner played well off the tee, hitting 11 fairways on the afternoon, but found only nine greens, leaving him in scramble mode. The frustration came to a head at the 16th hole, with McIlroy breaking his 3-wood after sending his shot to the right. After a promising first two days, McIlroy will leave Scotland without the claret jug. -- JB

Birdie: Bill Haas

With six PGA Tour titles, including a Tour Championship that won him a FedEx Cup, it’s surprising that Haas has yet to put a top 10 at a major on his resume. But he’s got his best shot of doing that on Sunday as he holds sole possession of third place entering the final round. Not that he doesn’t have his sights set much higher. “I don't think a ninth-place finish is going to change my career,” Haas said. “The only way to do that is to knock on the door coming down the stretch tomorrow.” -- Alex Myers

Bogey: Zach Johnson

For the third straight day, the defending Open champ stumbled on the final hole at Royal Troon, making yet another bogey. Yet unlike Friday and Saturday, this one didn’t cost him a good round but amplified a disappointing afternoon in which Johnson couldn’t get anything to go right. The tricky crosswinds left him hitting just seven of 14 fairways and six greens in regulation. An early birdie on the second hole was offset by double bogeys on the fifth and 10th holes. After beginning the day five off the lead, he ended it 11 back after his 75 -- and with little hope for hearing himself called once again the Champion Golfer of the Year. -- Ryan Herrington

Birdie: Andrew Johnston

After eating pizza for supper on Friday night, the golfer they call Beef feasted on applause from the galleries Saturday afternoon as he posted a one-under 70 and earned a spot in the penultimate pairing on Sunday. The 27-year-old Englishman, playing in just his third major championship, was already having a breakthrough year prior to arriving at Royal Troon. But his performance this week has raised the bushy-bearded man’s profile from European Tour oddity to international folk hero. He’ll be seven shots back entering the final round but there might not be anybody the crowd will be pulling for more. -- RH

Bogey: Keegan Bradley

Entering the third round of the Open at seven under and just three strokes back of the lead, Bradley struggled to the beat of a four-over 75. He was unable to string any holes together in a good way, making just one birdie to five bogeys. Now 10 shots off the lead, the 30-year-old American is still in pursuit of his first win since the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. -- Pat Kiernan

Birdie: The Postage Stamp

In an era of supersized golf holes, there's something reassuring about a hole that was reduced to a mere 100 yards on Saturday and yet still confounded the world's best. The par-3 eighth is what Stenson bogeyed after coming up just short of the green in the third round, and it's the one Tony Finau nearly aced, only to suck his ball off the green to make a disappointing 4. If certain holes get overhyped on weeks like these, the Postage Stamp has, well, more than delivered. -- SW

Bogey: Soren Kjeldsen

Kjeldsen, the 41-year-old from Denmark, began Saturday just three strokes back at seven under, tied for third with Keegan Bradley, but he struggled from the start. The back nine was disastrous, as he made a double bogey on 10, and another three bogeys to finish off the round at four-over 75. Kjeldsen will enter Sunday tied for sixth at three under with chances far diminished of winning his first tournament since the 2015 Irish Open. -- PK

Birdie: J.B. Holmes

To gain ground on the field at Royal Troon, it helps to take advantage of the outward side. Holmes did just that Saturday, shooting the low nine of the day on the course’s easier nine-hole stretch. An inward 37 wasn’t the finish the Kentuckian wanted, but it still places him in the top five heading into the final round at Troon. Random for Holmes to be in the mix? Maybe not so much. He finished T-4 at this year’s Masters after a final-round 68, and also finished T-4 at the WGC-Bridgestone a couple weeks ago. -- SH

Birdie: Steve Stricker

After one of the oddest rounds in Open Championship history (17 pars and one quadruple bogey) on Friday, it was tough to know what to expect from Stricker on Saturday. But the rejuvenated 49-year-old continued to surprise, particularly with a back-nine 34 that gave him a 68. By the end of a difficult day, his three-under total had him all the way up to T-6. It would still take a minor miracle for Stricker to win his first major, but this week has already been a major success for a player who has been semi-retired the past few years. -- AM

Bogey: Rickie Fowler

On the bright side, Fowler made the cut at Royal Troon, something he couldn't say at Augusta National or Oakmont. Opening rounds of 69-72 left Fowler with a puncher's chance heading into the British Open weekend. But after two birdies in the first four holes, the 27-year-old quickly fell off with back-to-back bogeys, and a quadruple on the difficult 11th sent Fowler spiraling off the leader board. Unless he cobbles together something of merit at Baltusrol or in the Olympics, 2016 will go down as a disappointing season for Fowler. -- JB