British Open Scores 2012: Dissecting the Day 3 Leaderboard

Round 3 is in the books at Royal Lytham & St Annes, with Adam Scott holding an impressive four stroke lead over the rest of the field.

Scott, who's finished top-three in a pair of majors, is searching for his first major championship on Sunday. But while his four-shot lead is a good head start, recent history has taught us that it's far from insurmountable––particularly with a wild Tiger lurking in the near distance.

Here's a look at the leaderboard after Day 3 and a few notes for Sunday's action:

- Adam Scott (-11)

- Graeme McDowell (-7)

- Brandt Snedeker (-7)

- Tiger Woods (-6)

- Ernie Els (-5)

- Zach Johnson (-5)

- Thorbjorn Olesen (-4)

- Thomas Aiken (-3)

- Bill Haas (-3)

- Mark Calcavecchia (-2)

- Matt Kuchar (-2)

- Louis Oosthuizen (-2)

- Bubba Watson (-2)

There's No Woods-Scott Pairing, But There's Still Some Drama

For a moment there, it really seemed like we'd get to see Tiger Woods and Steve Williams reunite in the final round of a major.

Williams, Tiger's former caddie who was unceremoniously fired in 2012, now works with Scott, which would have created a rating-boosting aura of awkwardness on Sunday. Graeme McDowell's back-nine 33 stuck a fork in that fantastic notion, but there will still be plenty of intrigue in Sunday's final pairings.

Most notably is the final group, which will feature Scott's four stroke lead going against fan favorite McDowell. We saw how the British crowd got behind Andy Murray at Wimbledon, and for those hoping Scott will falter (most everybody in the field), the crowd could be the biggest factor.

There's also this: ESPN picked up a beautiful shot on the 18th today, with Adam Scott in the foreground watching Woods and Olesen finish putting in the background.

With Tiger playing in the second-to-last group on Sunday, there's a chance we could be treated to a tension-building shot like that, but with much more on the line.

There's A Whole Bunch of 'Former Major Champions' in the Mix

If Adam Scott wins his first career major on Sunday, it certainly won't be for a lack of competition.

Of his 12 main competitors listed above, seven are former major champions:

- McDowell (2010 U.S. Open)

- Woods (14 career majors)

- Els (3 career majors)

- Johnson (2007 Masters)

- Calcavecchia (1989 British Open)

- Oosthuizen (2010 British Open)

- Watson (2012 Masters)

The quality of those chasing him will certainly loom large in the back of Scott's mind Sunday. He's handled the pressure with aplomb thus far, but the final round is an entirely different monster.

Great Follow-Ups by Oosthuizen and Watson

It's great to see Oosthuizen and Watson continue their strong years at the Open Championship. 

After their epic battle at the 2012 Masters, some wondered if these two would be able to sustain their impressive form. And after both failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open, those skeptics had to feel a little vindicated.

With both men at -2, it's criminal that they weren't paired together for a rematch on Sunday, but following them should be interesting nonetheless.