Tiger Woods toying with the field at the British Open

Is Tiger Woods actually a cat? I mean a pussy cat. You know what cats are like, they love nothing better than toying with their prey. Killing a mouse straight off is just too boring by half, that’s the sort of thing those stupid lions do, only thinking of their stomachs. You could be forgiven for thinking that’s what Tiger was doing Saturday. How many three-putts again? It was not comfortable viewing for anyone who had sunk his all on the Woods’ bandwagon.

Okay, yesterday I got it right and wrong at the same time (something of an achievement doncha think?). I guessed Woods might have a mare. I just never thought it would be on Elm Street and that he would let the pack catch him up so easily. So much now for all those records he and Els were going to smash. Well, my bet might not have been landed yet, but it has set up Sunday for a superb final day at the Open. You could hardly wish for a stronger, more competitive leaderboard.

We all know the stats by now. Tiger is 10 out of 10 as third round leader in majors and (my thanks to the PGA Tour website) 34 from 37 in all PGA competitions. That’s pretty compelling, except of course that stats are not divine law. And if ever Tiger looked vulnerable it is this Sunday.

But look again at the scoreboard - at all the leading players. To a man they have shot at least one round of 70 or more. That’s Tiger’s out of the way and I do not see him doing as badly in the last one. The question is how much better will he do? He’s highly likely to fluff the first three again; he just has not mastered them this weekend at all. This means every possibility he will be caught. So although his current price of just over 2 is not bad value, I think it is worth taking on in running. In fact I’d be tempted to take any leader on up to the turn.

I still cannot quite get my head round some of the contenders: Sergio Garcia has played some great golf but his putting is still too flaky for me and today’s pressure could do for him. Ernie Els is already showing signs of metal fatigue and although Jim Furyk loves these kinds of situations his record in the Open Championship still speaks volumes.

Chris DiMarco? He has had an appalling season, made the worse by the death of his mother, yet suddenly he is number one threat and in with a great chance of revenge for his Masters defeat by Tiger last year.(ooh, memories of the ball that hung on the lip for an age and a day come flooding back!). Is it maybe his day in the Hoylake sun?

I’m not half as certain as I was yesterday, but I’m going to stick with Tiger to win - after 18 holes of exquisite golfing fun and games.