Tiger Woods signed for the highest score of his professional career today as Muirfield turned nasty and claimed the scalp of a number of golf's most famous players.
On an amazing day of wind and rain that threatened to turn the tournament upside down Woods slumped to a 10-over-par 81 and still out-scored Colin Montgomerie by three.
In the six years since he left the amateur ranks Woods has never done worse than his 79 at the 1996 Australian Open. But in a performance that, barring a miracle in the final round, ended his Grand Slam dream, Woods hit a new low both in terms of score and disappointment.
A round which began with him four under and only two off the lead ended with him six over and 11 adrift of South African Ernie Els.
Twice the winner of the US Open, Els now has the British version in his sights - and that despite going to the turn in 40 himself.
An inward 32 for a five-under total of 208 takes the world number three into the concluding 18 holes two ahead of Denmark's Soren Hansen and three clear of a seven-strong group which contains Ireland’s Des Smyth.
Despite opening with a double-bogey, Smyth put his vast experience of links golf into practice to share the lead with eight holes to play. But the 49-year-old Drogheda man was desperately disappointed to bogey the last two holes to finish on 74.
Also on two under are Spaniard Sergio Garcia, American Scott McCarron, Japan's Shigeki Maruyama and another Dane, Thomas Bjorn.
Dubliner Padraig Harrington was one of the five halfway leaders, but even with a birdie at the first he could do no better than 41 going out and finished with a 76. At one under he is not yet out of it.
As for Montgomerie, he went from the sublime to the ridiculous in 24 hours.
Having set a new record for the lengthened links with his second-round 64 he crashed towards the tail of the field with a round of 84.
Nine different players tasted the lead before Els stamped his class on proceedings when conditions finally returned to something near normality.
- Collated third round scores from the 131st Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Club, near Edinburgh, Scotland; (Par 71, Irish and GB unless stated, Irish in bold)
208- Ernie Els (Rsa) 70-66-72
210- Soren Hansen (Den) 68-69-73
211- Justin Leonard (USA) 71-72-68, Justin Rose (Eng) 68-75-68, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 71-69-71, Scott McCarron (USA) 71-68-72, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 68-70-73, Des Smyth 68-69-74, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 68-68-75
212- Steve Elkington (Aus) 71-73-68, Peter Lonard (Aus) 72-72-68, Thomas Levet (Fra) 72-66-74, Padraig Harrington 69-67-76
213- Stuart Appelby (Aus) 73-70-70, David Duval (USA) 72-71-70, Loren Roberts (USA) 74-69-70, Craig Perks (Nzl) 72-70-71, Ian Garbutt (Eng) 69-70-74, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71-68-74, Nick Price (Zim) 68-70-75, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 67-70-76, Duffy Waldorf (USA) 67-69-77
214- Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 72-72-70, Jerry Kelly (USA) 73-71-70, Greg Norman (Aus) 71-72-71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 70-73-71, Davis Love (USA) 71-71-72, Scott Hoch (USA) 74-69-71, Chris Smith (USA) 74-69-71, Barry Lane (Eng) 74-68-72, Bob Estes (USA) 71-70-73, David Park (Wal) 73-67-74, Gary Evans (Eng) 72-68-74, Scott Verplank (USA) 72-68-74, Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 72-68-74, Andrew Coltart (Sco) 71-69-74, Corey Pavin (USA) 69-70-75, Bob Tway (USA) 70-66-78
215- Bernhard Langer (Ger) 72-72-71, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 72-72-71, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 72-68-75, Mark O'Meara (USA) 69-69-77
216- Toshimitsu Izawa (Jpn) 76-68-72, Roger Wessels (Rsa) 72-71-73, Steve Jones (USA) 68-75-73, Joe Durant (USA) 72-71-73, Kenichi Kuboya (Jpn) 70-73-73, Bradley Dredge (Wal) 70-72-74, Mike Weir (Can) 73-69-74, Chris DiMarco (USA) 72-69-75, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 71-70-75, Darren Clarke 72-67-77, Ian Poulter (Eng) 69-69-78
217- Sandy Lyle (Sco) 68-76-73, Ian Woosnam (Wal) 72-72-73, Jim Carter (USA) 74-70-73, Rocco Mediate (USA) 71-72-74, Chris Riley (USA) 70-71-76
218- Fredrik Andersson (Swe) 74-70-74, Esteban Toledo (Mex) 73-70-75, Jarrod Moseley (Aus) 70-73-75, Neal Lancaster (USA) 71-71-76, Nick Faldo (Eng) 73-69-76, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 71-70-77, Len Mattiace (USA) 68-73-77, Paul Lawrie (Sco) 70-70-78
219- Richard Green (Aus) 72-72-75, Pierre Fulke (Swe) 72-69-78, Jeff Maggert (USA) 71-68-80, Tiger Woods (USA) 70-68-81, Stephen Ames (Tri) 68-70-81
220- Toru Taniguchi (Jpn) 71-73-76, Phil Mickelson (USA) 68-76-76, Paul Eales (Eng) 73-71-76, Stewart Cink (USA) 71-69-80, Steve Stricker (USA) 69-70-81
221- Mark Calcavecchia (USA) 74-66-81, Warren Bennett (Eng) 71-68-82
222- Matthew Cort (Eng) 73-71-78, Anders Hansen (Den) 71-72-79, Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 74-64-84
223- David Toms (USA) 67-75-81, Lee Janzen (USA) 70-69-84