Saturday's Birdies and Bogeys

By Alex Myers

July 19, 2013

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Birdie: Lee WestwoodIt's always a good sign when your worst shot in a round results in your most gratifying result. After making a mess of his first three shots on the par-3 16th hole, Westwood made an 18-footer for bogey on the 16th hole that kept him tied for the lead with playing partner Tiger Woods. He then rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on the next hole on his way to a 70 and a two-shot lead heading into Sunday. Westwood will look to become the third elite player to win a maiden major this year. At 40, he's waited eight years longer than Adam Scott and Justin Rose did for their breakthrough victories, but that would only make whatever he drinks out of the claret jug Sunday evening taste even sweeter.

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Bogey: Tiger WoodsA third round 72 in taxing conditions wasn't bad, but considering what it left him with 18 holes to play, Woods' Saturday may go down as a crucial opportunity lost. After grabbing sole possession of the lead at one point and then jockeying back and forth with Lee Westwood for most of the day, Woods' bogey to Westwood's birdie on the 17th hole meant the Englishman had the lead by himself. Why was that important at day's end? For starters, it meant Woods wouldn't be in the final pairing. But also, as most golf fans know, Woods has never won a major when not holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

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Birdie: Adam ScottAfter going about a decade without seriously contending in a major, the Aussie now seems to pop up in every one. Scott has only made eight birdies in three days, but he's avoided the big mistake with no doubles and his one-under round Saturday brought him back to even for the tournament. A year ago, he held the 54-hole lead in this event and had one hand on the claret jug until bogeying the final four holes at Royal Lytham to lose to Ernie Els. Now with a major under his belt thanks to a dramatic playoff win at the Masters, he'll certainly be a more intimidating presence the longer his name stays on the leader board Sunday.

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Bogey: Miguel Angel JimenezHe may be a cool guy, but the 49-year-old wasn't cool under major pressure. Playing in the last group of the day, Jimenez missed a three-footer for par on No. 2. Three more bogeys on the front nine and then a double bogey on No. 16 were part of a 77 that probably ended his chances of becoming the oldest major winner ever. It was a disappointing day, but something tells us he'll probably handle it better than most.

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Birdie: Final-round intrigueTiger's old swing vs. Tiger's new swing. Tiger's old caddie vs. Tiger's new caddie. The world No. 1 vs. the would-be world No. 2. Lee Westwood and Hunter Mahan might make for a terrific final group on Sunday, but the twosome of Adam Scott and Tiger Woods -- well, foursome, if you count caddies Steve Williams and Joe LaCava -- playing in front of them will get most of the attention. If 18 more holes isn't enough to settle this thing between Woods and Scott, perhaps we'll see a first-ever tag-team wrestling match for the claret jug.

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Birdie: Hunter MahanAfter falling just short at the U.S. Open at Merion, the 31-year-old Mahan has given himself another shot a month later at Muirfield. With a three-under 68 on a day when anything around par was excellent, Mahan was as close to perfect as Muirfield would allow on Saturday. Well, at least when it came to his golf he was ...

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Bogey: Hunter MahanSurely there is a faction of the population that thinks Mahan's sartorial choices have been right on the mark. We just don't know who those people are. After a provocative shirt-shoe combination that received plenty of attention at Merion, Mahan has kicked it up (or is it down?) a notch at Muirfield. On Thursday, there was a black-and-white ensemble that drew comparisons to an Oreo. On Saturday, he went all electric blue. Not really our style, but given how well he's played in the last two majors, Mahan isn't likely to change a thing.

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Birdie: Sean FoleyWhoever ends up winning this week will undoubtedly turn on his cell phone afterwards to a wave of texts and missed calls. But Foley's phone might be buzzing even more with congratulatory messages if any of the THREE players currently under par at Muirfield hold on to win. Yes, business is good for the swing coach who works with the trio of Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods, and Hunter Mahan, and who also coaches Justin Rose, the recent U.S. Open champ. Foley just recently added Westwood as a client. If the Englishman hangs on for his first major, Foley should really think about raising his rates.

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Bogey: Hideki MatsuyamaThe Japanese phenom, who earned his spot in the Open in dramatic fashion by birdieing the last hole of Asian qualifying, rattled off three straight birdies at one point Saturday to pull within two shots of the lead. Then a series of mistakes reversed his momentum. Matsuyama's final six holes included four bogeys, and that included a one-stroke penalty for slow play when he took two minutes to play his second shot on the 17th hole. He finished the day three-over par.

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Birdie: Sergio GarciaThe shaking of the head. The exasperated arm toss. The muttering in Spanish. They were all there as usual for Garcia, but so was the usual splendid ball-striking. And on this day, the 33-year-old rolled in enough putts to go from championship afterthought to contender. A 68 moved Garcia way up the board into a tie for 11th, giving him at least an outside chance of winning his first major. Six years ago, he came his closest to winning one in another part of Scotland. Maybe this time around, he'll script a happier ending.

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Bogey: Dustin JohnsonThree times in the last three years, Johnson has lost final-round leads in majors. Remember the bunker fiasco at Whistling Straits? Or the iron he jacked out of bounds on the 14th hole at Royal St. George's? At Muirfield, it looks like Johnson won't even get the chance. Just one shot off the lead to start Saturday, Johnson plummeted down the leader board with a 40 on the front nine. His 76 leaves him six shots behind leader Lee Westwood.

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Saturday's Birdies and Bogeys

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