• Open Championship, Round Three

Casey hot on the heels of leader

Paul Casey hit a classy 67 to move within four shots of the leader © Getty Images

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Paul Casey moved to within four shots of the lead following a joint-best round of 67 on day three of The Open Championship at St Andrews.

The Englishman hit five birdies on the front nine to finish his third round on 11-under-par - four adrift of clubhouse leader Louis Oosthuizen. Overnight leader Oosthuizen was yet again unflappable, carding a three-under 69 to edge within sight of a first Major title.

It was clear from the outset of Casey's round that he would be a contender to challenge Oosthuizen as the man from Surrey grabbed two birdies on his opening three holes. He picked up further shots on five, seven and nine before knocking in nine successive pars to end the day as the top Brit and very much on Oosthuizen's radar.

The South African appeared to be feeling the nerves as he left the first hole with a bogey five but he soon settled and his terrific form of the previous two days continued as he played the conditions beautifully to sign off on 15-under-par.

Germany's Martin Kaymer shot 68 to finish third on eight under. Kaymer, bidding to become the first German to win The Open, went out in 35 and returned in 33 to catapult himself right into contention with one round to go.

Henrik Stenson equalled Casey's effort of 67 to surge up the leaderboard. An eagle at the par-four 13th was the crowning moment of his round but two late bogeys will have somewhat removed the smile from his face.

Rory McIlroy recovered from his disastrous second-round score of 80 to nudge himself back into the reckoning during the Open Championship third round.

McIlroy has been through the emotional roller-coaster that St Andrews so often guarantees over the first 48 hours, equalling the first-round course record of 63 on Thursday before seeing his dreams shattered as he slipped from nine-under-par to one-under on Friday. On Saturday, he was back in his groove, shooting a 69 to finish on four-under.

He ended a run of 23 holes without a birdie at the fifth. Further birdies came at eight, nine, 12 and 15, and he could have been in far better shape but for a double-bogey at the dreaded 17th.

Sergio Garcia showed signs that he was regaining his touch after shooting a 70 to finish among a group of players on four-under-par.

There was little sign of magic from Tiger Woods though, who failed to build on his memorable shot at the 18th on Friday. The American opened with bogeys at five and eight and although he made up ground with a few birdies, two bogeys on the back nine ensured he completed a turbulent round with a disappointing 73.

English pair Robert Rock and Ross Fisher both produced some splendid golf to finish three-under after the third round, but both men will come away disappointed after they spluttered on the penultimate hole. Rock eagled the par-four seventh to reach the turn in five-under, but he ended up slamming his driver into the turf at 18 after he bogeyed a short putt for par on the 17th.

Fisher's inward nine was electric as he birdied 10, 11, 14 and 15, but then came disaster at the 17th. Sending an iron long from the middle of the fairway, Fisher found the road as his ball leapt out of bounds. A double-bogey was his punishment, leaving him with a 68 when it should have been far better.

Luke Donald has steadily improved throughout the week at St Andrews, capitalising on a narrow escape from the cut to reach two-under on Saturday. Donald hit scores of 73 and 72 in the opening two rounds, but five birdies and two bogeys gave him a satisfying 69 to lift him up the leaderboard. Scotland's Steven Gallacher is level with Donald after two late bogeys undid earlier good work around the turn.

England's Steven Tiley will wonder what might have been after he began Saturday on six-under, but finished it two-over-par. Tiley had eight holes of his second round to complete at 6.30am, and he shot a disappointing 79 to fall to one-over. Tiley then had to get straight back out on the course for his third round, playing a controlled 73 to give himself a chance of breaking par on the final day.

Ian Poulter will also be kicking himself on Saturday evening after he produced his worst round of the tournament. Poulter had battled superbly to enter the weekend on even-par despite dreadful conditions, but he bogeyed the opening hole before shooting a four-over 76 in round three to drop back to four-over. Colin Montgomerie is one stroke ahead of his Ryder Cup colleague after a similarly poor afternoon.

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