British Open 2012: Bold Predictions for Final Round from Royal Lytham

With three rounds in the books, the real drama behind the British Open will unfold in the tournament's fourth and final round as the winner of the Claret Jug will be determined. Each day has provided its own share of surprises and stories and the final day should be no different as the pressure of the final round is sure to affect the field in different ways.

Here are predictions for how some of the biggest storylines in the field will end up on the final day.

Adam Scott Wins—But Not By Much

Through three rounds, Scott has built up a sizable four-stroke lead over the rest of the field at 11-under par. His length off the tee and on the fairway has been advantageous on the links and he leads the entire tournament in distance off the tee with a 318.9 yard average. 

While Scott has been impressive in his first three rounds, expect him to struggle in the final phase of The Open as he fends off Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedeker and Tiger Woods.

Scott's score has risen in every subsequent round since opening up with an impressive 64 in tournament's opening round. With the added pressure of closing out his first Major tournament victory, it's logical to expect that he doesn't play his best round.

That being said, it would take either a catastrophic meltdown or a massive effort from someone else in the field to close the gap that Scott has created. As long as he finds a way to shoot one-under or better, he should come out with the Claret Jug.

Brandt Snedeker Regains Earlier Touch

Scott played great in round three, but he can thank Snedeker for handing him the lead. 

After playing bogey-free golf in the first two rounds of the tournament to take the early lead, Snedeker hit a rut in round three. He hit six bogeys and four of those bogeys came in a five-hole stretch to close out the front nine.

After playing so well in the first two rounds, Snedeker's struggle to make pars was one of the bigger stories of Day 3 and how he responds will be interesting to watch in Day 4. Snedeker should be able to save face and make a respectable run for the title—he finished the round with some momentum in birdieing two of the last four holes heading into the clubhouse.

Tiger Woods Struggles

Coming into the final round, Tiger Woods trails leader Adam Scott by five strokes. While that technically puts him in contention, expect Woods to struggle in the final day of the tournament. 

If Woods was going to make a push to win the Major, he needed to shoot really well in the tournament's third round. With all the pressure to make his push, he shot an even par and failed to birdie a single hole on the back nine.

With Woods coming off his worst round in the tournament, it's hard to envision him coming out and faring any better under the pressure he is sure to feel to make a comeback. Throw in the fact that Woods has never come from behind on the fourth day to win any of his 14 career Majors, and a late surge is unlikely.