DARREN CLARKE GIVES HIMSELF A MAJOR CHANCE OF VICTORY

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Darren Clarke, who played his first Open Championship 20 years ago and has looked on as so many friends and rivals have lifted the famous trophy aloft, leads by a shot with 18 holes to go at Sandwich.

The 42-year-old Ulsterman, picture by courtesy of Getty Images (c),  overcame rain, wind and all the inevitable pressures of setting the pace in the biggest event in golf to fire a superb third round 69.
There were only two rounds better than that all day, but the fact that one of the two 68s came from Dustin Johnson means that the American is now the chief danger to Clarke's hopes of continuing the remarkable story of Irish success in the last four years.
After Dubliner Padraig Harrington's back-to-back Opens and a US PGA Championship title as well, Graeme McDowell captured the US Open last year and then compatriot Rory McIlroy succeeded him last month.
Now their fellow Northern Irishman Clarke, playing the 54th Major of his career but without a top-ten finish in them for a decade, stands five under par and looks down on the rest of the field.
He knows he might never have a better chance to lift The Claret Jug denied him in 1997 by a closing 65 from American Justin Leonard.
But Johnson has a burning desire too after what happened to him last season.
The 27-year-old American led the US Open by three with a round to go at Pebble Beach, but let in McDowell by carding a closing 82.
Then two months later he thought he was in a play-off for the US PGA Championship after a closing bogey, but was given a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club on sand on the final hole.
In joint third place on two under are Thomas Björn, the Dane who missed out on the 2003 Open at the course after leading by three with four to play, and American Rickie Fowler.
Lucas Glover shot 73 playing with Clarke, while Fowler matched Johnson's 68 partnering fellow 22-year-old Rory McIlroy, whose chances of a US Open-Open double hang by a thread now with a 74 dropping him nine behind.
That included driving out of bounds on the long 14th and running up a double bogey 7, but McIlroy did then recall that in 1999 Paul Lawrie was ten back at Carnoustie and won.
Darren Clarke said: "From tee to green I can't really play any better. I had one of those days where I had full control of my ball flight, but I didn't have the speed with my putting at all.
"If somebody had said before the start I could have 69, though, I would have bitten their hand off."
As for the ovations he received he laughed and replied: "I think most of the crowd identify with a guy who's not quite an athlete and likes a pint.
"I have a chance to realise a dream now and that would be fantastic.
"I've done just about everything else. I've been fortunate to win Ryder Cups and World Championships, but a Major has so far eluded me.
"I've a pretty decent chance. A major is always tough to win, but I've put myself in position."
Johnson said: "Obviously I've been in this situation a few times, so I think the more and more you can put yourself in it the more comfortable you get.
"I know what to expect. I know how to approach it and what to do."
The golfing gods were with Clarke, because it was only over the opening stretch that he had to contend with the worst of the conditions.
After truly foul weather had taken most of the overnight back markers out of the hunt, Clarke made a dream start, sinking a 15 foot putt on the opening green for the only birdie all day on the 452 yard hole.
He had a chance to go two in front on the next, but missed from five feet.
The rain had thankfully eased by then and Clarke might also have been the one player to register a two on the 206 yard third, only to fail from 18 feet.
His lead was two by then, however, with Björn bogeying the gruelling fourth to hand back the shot he had picked up with a 20 footer on the second.
That fourth proved the toughest hole again, even though it was reduced from 495 to 469 yards because of the weather.
It saw 45 bogeys, six double bogey 6s, a 7 from ex-winner Paul Lawrie and an 8 from American Spencer Levin, yet Clarke hit his second shot to five feet again and had to be disappointed not to stretch his advantage further.
It looked even more costly when he three-putted the next and although he made amends for that with a two-putt birdie from long range at the downwind seventh another bogey at the next led to him being caught.
Johnson did it with birdies at the tenth and 12th after turning in a level par 35, but a bogey on the 459 yard 13th handed the outright lead to Clarke again as he started the back nine.
A chip to six feet by the American at the 547 yard 14th brought them back level, only for Clarke to roll home a 12 footer on the 12th.
Johnson made it four birdies in six holes with an eight foot putt at the 15th and was back on terms, but he left a 15 foot par putt short at the 17th and parred the last.
Clarke then parred his way through the last six holes and was happy to do that at the last as, like the third and fourth, there was not a single birdie there all day.
THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 210 (3x70)
1 CLARKE, Darren 18 NIR 68 68 69 205 -5
2 JOHNSON, Dustin USA 70 68 68 206 -4
T3 FOWLER, Rickie USA 70 70 68 208 -2
T3 BJORN, Thomas DEN 65 72 71 208 -2
T5 JIMENEZ, Miguel Angel ESP 66 71 72 209 -1
T5 GLOVER, Lucas USA 66 70 73 209 -1
T7 KIM, Anthony USA 72 68 70 210 Par
T7 MICKELSON , Phil USA 70 69 71 210 Par
T7 HANSEN, Anders DEN 69 69 72 210 Par
T7 COETZEE, George  RSA 69 69 72 210 Par
T7 LOVE III, Davis USA 70 68 72 210 Par
T7 KAYMER, Martin GER 68 69 73 210 Par
T13 JOHNSON, Zach USA 72 68 71 211 +1
T13 PALMER, Ryan USA 68 71 72 211 +1
T13 LEHMAN, Tom USA 71 67 73 211 +1
T13 CAMPBELL, Chad USA 69 68 74 211 +1
T17 JACQUELIN, Raphael FRA 74 67 71 212 +2
T17 DYSON, Simon ENG 68 72 72 212 +2
T17 SIMPSON, Webb USA 66 74 72 212 +2
T17 STRICKER, Steve USA 69 71 72 212 +2
T17 SCOTT, Adam AUS 69 70 73 212 +2
T22 JACOBSON, Fredrik SWE 70 70 73 213 +3
T22 YANG, Y E SKOR 71 69 73 213 +3
T22 SCHWARTZEL, Charl  RSA 71 67 75 213 +3
T25 WATSON, Tom USA 72 70 72 214 +4
T25 IMMELMAN, Trevor RSA 70 72 72 214 +4
T25 HOWELL III, Charles  USA 71 70 73 214 +4
T25 GREEN, Richard AUS 70 71 73 214 +4
T25 GARCIA, Sergio ESP 70 70 74 214 +4
T25 McILROY, Rory NIR 71 69 74 214 +4
T25 ROCK, Robert ENG 69 71 74 214 +4
T25 LARRAZABAL, Pablo ESP 68 70 76 214 +4
T33 VAN PELT, Bo  USA 73 69 73 215 +5
T33 WATSON, Bubba USA 69 72 74 215 +5
T33 IKEDA, Yuta JPN 69 71 75 215 +5
T33 LEWIS, Tom (amateur) ENG 65 74 76 215 +5
T37 OOSTHUIZEN, Louis RSA 72 70 74 216 +6
T37 MCEVOY, Richard ENG 69 72 75 216 +6
T37 NOH, Seung-Yul SKOR 69 72 75 216 +6
T37 ALLENBY , Robert AUS 69 72 75 216 +6
T41 WOODLAND, Gary USA 75 68 74 217 +7
T41 UIHLEIN, Peter (amateur) USA 71 71 75 217 +7
T41 WILSON, Mark USA 74 68 75 217 +7
T41 BOYD, Gary ENG 71 70 76 217 +7
T41 DAY, Jason AUS 71 70 76 217 +7
T41 STANLEY, Kyle USA 68 72 77 217 +7
T41 OVERTON, Jeff USA 68 71 78 217 +7
T48 CHOI, K J SKOR 71 72 75 218 +8
T48 STENSON, Henrik SWE 72 71 75 218 +8
T48 FURYK, Jim USA 72 70 76 218 +8
T48 FERRIE, Kenneth ENG 71 71 76 218 +8
T48 CINK, Stewart USA 70 71 77 218 +8
T48 GALLACHER, Stephen SCO 70 71 77 218 +8
T48 SABBATINI, Rory RSA 71 70 77 218 +8
T55 MOORE, Ryan USA 69 74 76 219 +9
T55 DE VRIES, Floris NED 70 73 76 219 +9
T55 MOLINARI , Edoardo ITA 69 74 76 219 +9
T55 FRAZAR, Harrison USA 72 70 77 219 +9
T59 BOURDY, Gregory FRA 73 70 77 220 +10
T59 KHAN, Simon  ENG 71 72 77 220 +10
T59 ANDERSSON HED, Fredrik SWE 68 75 77 220 +10
T59 BARNES , Ricky USA 68 74 78 220 +10
T63 CASEY, Paul ENG 74 69 78 221 +11
T63 HAVRET, Gregory  FRA 72 71 78 221 +11
T63 HAAS, Bill USA 72 70 79 221 +11
T63 ROSE, Justin ENG 72 70 79 221 +11
T63 LUITEN, Joost NED 73 69 79 221 +11
68 LEVIN, Spencer USA 72 69 81 222 +12
69 MILLAR, Matthew AUS 71 72 80 223 +13
70 LAWRIE, Paul SCO 73 70 81 224 +14
71 HWANG, Jung-Gon S KOR 68 74 83 225 +15