Notebook: Big guns Els and Mickelson misfire

The world's third- and fourth-ranked players stuttered on Saturday. Plus, Luke Donald feels drained, Nick Faldo's Friday night was tough to stomach, Tom Watson knows there'll never be another Road Hole, and more.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (PA) -- Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson failed to inspire each other into launching a challenge of Tiger Woods in the third round of the Open Championship on Saturday.

The world's third- and fourth-ranked players, respectively, stuttered to rounds of 75 and 72 in the third round to drop out of contention.

Els never threatened to climb the leader board from the moment he three-putted the first hole for a bogey. And though the South African birdied the seventh and ninth, three bogeys on the back nine left him back in the pack at even-par 216 and tied for 56th.

In contrast, Mickelson was 4-under for his first 10 holes and inside the top 10 before a bogey at the 12th, where he drove into gorse, a double-bogey on the 13th and another dropped shot on the 17th. He finished at 3-under 213 through 54 holes, tied for 29th place and nine shots behind leader Tiger Woods.

"I played well for 11 holes and poorly the last seven," a terse Mickelson said afterward. "No excuses, I didn't play well the last seven and it was frustrating. If I'd played the last seven, I could have had a chance tomorrow."

DONALD DRAINED: After two days of playing with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, Luke Donald was tired and psychologically drained in a third-round 77.

Donald was 3-under after his first 36 holes, but had an odd round Saturday that started with a birdie and was followed by bogeys at the third, sixth and seventh before an eagle at the short par-4 ninth. Three more dropped shots came at the 11th, 15th and 16th before he doubled the 17th to finish 54 holes at 2-over 218 and tied for 70th place.

"It was very different today but I enjoyed the last two days and I wish I had had it again. It would have maybe made me play a bit better," said Donald, who was born in England but lives in Chicago. "This is the Open at. St Andrews and I was playing with the U.S. Open champion [Michael Campbell] so I wouldn't say it was an anti-climax. but it wasn't quite as loud from the crowd.

"It was a little bit draining [playing with Nicklaus]," he admitted. "Being in among that much emotion is something I have not experienced, but I will never forget it. It was a treat and it will live with me forever.

"But I just feel like I'm mentally and physically tired," he said. "I played for two weeks before this and also in a pro-am, and maybe I did too much before this week. Maybe I've got to think about that for next year. I felt a little bit drained and low on energy today and I finished horribly, just losing concentration.

"Winning is out if the question but I'll regroup and hopefully play a solid round [Sunday]," he said. "And then I've got a couple of weeks off before I get ready for the PGA Championship."

CAMPBELL'S SELF-BELIEF IS GROWING: Michael Campbell felt he proved he was no "flash in the pan" Saturday, with a third-round 69 in the Open Championship.

Campbell was the surprise winner of the U.S. Open a month ago, holding off the challenge of Tiger Woods among others at Pinehurst. And the New Zealander was delighted to maintain that form over the Old Course to post a 7-under total of 209 to be tied for seventh with Vijay Singh, five shots behind Woods.

"To come back after winning a major championship a month later to play so well again proves a point that I'm not just a flash in the pan," said Campbell, who led after 54 holes here in 1995 before stumbling home to a third-place finish. "I'm here for a very long time and I want to win more majors.

"I think the hardest one is the first one and the rest will hopefully get a little easier because you always gain experience during that time," he added. "I feel very, very confident. I gained a lot experience a month ago and feel the experience is going to hold me through if I'm in the running to win another major."

Meanwhile, though, Campbell had hard words for the closing hole on the Old Course.

Asked if the 357-yard par 4 was a good way to finish a major, he said no.

"If they bring it back another 40 or 50 yards to the left-hand side, it would be a tough hole then,'' said Campbell, who has birdied it all three days so far. "It's a very, very short hole for a finishing hole. You can't really miss the fairway, because it's so wide. But move it back 40 yards, that brings it back into play.''

Most players drive the green or come up just short, setting up the chance for a two-putt birdie. And the big hitters don't even have to use their driver. No. 18 ranked as the easiest hole on Saturday, producing two eagles, 42 birdies and 32 pars, and only four bogeys.

HARD TO STOMACH: Nick Faldo found himself down at a garage at the crack of dawn Saturday looking for something to settle an upset stomach.

Faldo, who won the 1990 Open Championship at St. Andrews, managed to pull himself together and came in with a 2-under 70 in the third round and a total of 3-under 213.

"I felt lousy as last night's dinner decided to go south," he said. "I was not expecting 70 at all as I was on about 50 percent power. So I am really pleased.

"I was always going to battle on, though," he said. "It is the Open and I have a couple of weeks off after it, so I am draining the energy batteries to the limit."

Faldo admitted his days of winning the Open have gone.

"Fifteen years ago, I was in the flow," he said. "I was just here to play golf and nothing else. There were no problems I had to think about. Now I have got to think about it. Mentally, I am shot. But I am out there playing because I still love it."

FALDO'S RECORD: Faldo announced proudly that he beat Jack Nicklaus' record for sub-70 Open Championship rounds on the same day the Golden Bear made his St. Andrews farewell.

Only one problem: Faldo eclipsed the mark three years ago at Muirfield.

The Englishman took his record of below-70 rounds to 36 with a 69 on Friday. Nicklaus, who played his final major the same day, went into the 60s 33 times at the Open.

NICK AND THE SHARK: Nick Faldo and Greg Norman had some memorable encounters over the years, and they're still going strong. They are tied for 29th going to the final round at St. Andrews.

Norman, who turned 50 this year, will play in his first 50-and-over event next week, the Senior British Open at Royal Aberdeen. He then heads to the U.S. Senior Open in Kettering, Ohio.

"I still love to play and I still love to compete,'' Norman said.

Faldo will be eligible for senior events in two years, but he's holding up pretty well against the youngsters in between his duties as a commentator for ABC. In fact, he's doing double-duty at the Old Course, heading to the TV booth after Saturday's round.

Fifteen years ago, Norman and Faldo were both at 12-under and paired together for the third round at St. Andrews. Faldo shot 67 on the way to one of his three Open titles; Norman shot 76 on the way to another missed opportunity in the majors.

In 1996, Norman and Faldo played together on Sunday in the final group at the Masters. The Shark blew a six-stroke lead with a 78, handing Faldo his third green jacket.

SEAN'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE: After qualifying for his Open Championship just last weekend, Sean O'Hair scrambled to get a passport and a flight across the Atlantic. He didn't even arrive at St. Andrews until Wednesday.

The hectic schedule hasn't hurt his play.

The 23-year-old American, who won the John Deere Classic last Sunday to earn a spot in the Open, is six strokes behind Woods after shooting 70 on the tricky Scottish links.

"I'm just trying to enjoy the moment, and I'm trying to soak up all the experiences for this week,'' he said Saturday. "But it's been crazy. I haven't gotten to enjoy it yet. But I'll be taking two weeks off to let it all sink in.''

WATSON ON THE ROAD: Five-time Open Championship winner and part-time course designer Tom Watson fell victim to the Old Course's notoriously difficult 17th hole again Saturday, with his second bogey there in three days. And after his 2-under 70 in the third round, which left him at 1-under 215, he admitted it would be impossible to re-create the famous Road Hole -- for fear of being sued.

The blind tee shot requires a drive over the outbuildings of the Old Course Hotel, and the tightest line down the right takes you only yards from the windows of some of the rooms.

"You couldn't build a hole like that today without a lot of insurance. There are too many lawyers around," joked Watson. "You can't even build holes close together in case an enterprising attorney comes along."

The Old Course, of course, has numerous shared fairways and greens.

Watson revealed that he was not a fan of the Old Course when he first played it. But over the years, he said, he had come to appreciate it more.

"I didn't like this course at first, but it has grown on me," he said. "I didn't like the humps and bumps, the blind shots and how firm the golf course plays. I don't mind blind shots as long as you don't have too many. Any more than three is too many."

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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