• Open Championship, Round Three, What They Said

What They Said

Rickie Fowler produced the round of the day in tough conditions on Saturday © Getty Images

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Darren Clarke leads going into the final round of The Open, thanks to a one-under 69 on Saturday, and despite a couple of missed chances for birdie he was delighted with his day's work: "If somebody had offered me a 69 before I went out I would have bitten their hand off. I'm delighted to be in the position I'm in."

The Northern Irishman received a rapturous reception on his apporach to the 18th green, to which he quipped: "I think most of the crowd identify with a guy who is not exactly an athlete like most of them, the normal guy who likes a pint like the rest of them! I've done nearly everything in golf, but a major has eluded me. Tomorrow I have a decent chance, strong winds are predicted again, a major's always tough to win but I have a chance, and I can't ask for anything more."

Rickie Fowler produced a sparking round in shocking conditions to move to two-under. He said: "It was tough and tough to stay dry, but I managed to make a few birdies and moved up the field. It is starting to ease up and the wind started to ease and I was able to hit a few good shots and made some birdies coming home. I have played a lot of golf in the wind at Oklahoma State, but not the rain as well. I went out trying to make the best of it and hit some good shots. My game feels good, I was in contention in my last event and learned a bit in the final group, and wherever I am and however many I am behind I will give it my best. I love links golf and the challenge and am looking forward to tomorrow."

Rory McIlroy was more downcast after a 74 left him four-over. He said: "Seems this tournament more so than any other you've got to get a good draw. It's not worked out for me this week. What did Paul Lawrie come back from, 10? Well, it's been done before, so I'll just have to keep the hope."

On a tee shot he hit out of bounds on 14, he added: "You've done so well for 13 holes to keep yourself in it, and then you've got half of Kent on your left and you hit it right - that was a bit disappointing. It was a tough one to take."

Dustin Johnson will be in the final group on Sunday after moving to four-under. He said: "It was a great day, I played solid and holed a few putts and stayed out of trouble. It is tough for everyone, so as long as you are controlling the ball and getting on the right side of holes you will have a chance."

Johnson imploded at last year's US Open, but feels he learned from his Pebble Beach meltdown. He said: "You learn a lot from those situations. I have to play one shot at a time, don't go too fast, slow the routine. When I played bad at the US Open I played really fast so I will look to slow it down and enjoy the moment."

Phil Mickelson battled through the weather to get to even-par for the championship. He said: "I had a great time and I was hoping it [bad weather] had stayed the entire day as when the rain went away scores started to come down. It was difficult and I felt I let a few short putts slip by. There are some really good players ahead of me and the good thing for me is I have a chance to be in contention for the final round. I will have to go out and shoot a good score but I feel I am ready to do it."

Tom Watson shot a superb round of 72 to hand him the clubhouse lead when he left the course. He said: "It was a good round. My putting was superb today, I made a lot of putts and my touch was good. The main thing is not to put it into too much trouble, don't put it in the bunkers and don't put it in the heavy rough. I started off making a 12-footer for par and a 25-footer for par on the fourth. The one thing is not to force it. People try to hit it too hard into the wind, I was guilty of that as a youngster. I can't hit it hard any more, I have to hit it softly and my flight cuts through the wind pretty well. It is a difficult day with the winds, a nasty, dastardly day."

Matthew Miller was the first man out, playing with a marker, and he found life tough with a round of 80. He said: "It was pretty tough out there today. It was wet, cool and windy - pretty much the worse of everything. I found it really hard to keep my hands dry. And everything became difficult. Every hole plays so much longer and with the rain and the wind, it is a real beast. We had an offer for someone to play with us and if it had been a nice day I would have said yes, but not on a day like today."

Paul Casey posted a 78 to drop to 11-over for the championship. He said: "That was some of the worst conditions I have ever played in and I am now happy to be sat in the clubhouse where I can go and get my cup of tea and a cake and watch the rest of the golf. It was trying, not necessarily that enjoyable, but we are here to win an Open Championship and I will play in any conditions to try and do that. It is difficult to control the ball, there is so much water getting between the club and the ball."

Amateur Tom Lewis had a round of 76 to slip to five-over. He said: "Not good today, not too happy with my putting and the game, but that's the way it was today. Hopefully I can learn from my mistakes out there."

He could still win the silver medal for top amateur, as he sits two clear of Peter Uihlein: "Peter is a great player, so no matter what happens tomorrow hopefully I can play well, and if I don't win then I don't win. He deserves whatever he gets. Hopefully I can win some bigger trophies in my career."

Simon Dyson recorded a second straight round of 72 to move to two-over. He said: "That was as bad as I've ever played in for the first 11, 12 holes. I dropped a couple of silly shots in the middle of the round but apart from that it was pretty flawless. Tomorrow I'll just try to make sure I hit the fairways because my iron play today was as good as it's been all week."

Jason Day fired a six-over round of 76 to sit seven-over for the tournament. He said: "It was unreal out there. I was talking to Bubba [Watson] about it and we agreed that it was the toughest day that we had ever played. You've never seen so many people hold their umbrellas sideways."

Gary Woodland looked to have mastered the conditions as he went out in 34, but a back nine 41 saw him slip to seven-over. He said: "I drove the ball really well early. I really only had three or four bad swings today and I've shot 74. It's hard to make pars on the last four or five holes, which are brutal. Unfortunately I let it get away there."

Ryan Moore had a 76 to sit nine-over. When asked if there was anything fun about being out there, he said: "No. Nothing remotely. This is the best part of the day right now. I'm not in the weather right now. I don't have to be. I mean, towards the end there was just no way to keep anything dry. Everything was wet, and I had eight towels in my bag."

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