British Open 2013: Day 3 Expectations for Golf's Top Stars

It's moving day at the British Open, and Tiger Woods is one stroke off the lead. Miguel Angel Jimenez has the 36-hole lead and hopes to ride his unique stretching, box of cigars and crafty game all the way to becoming the oldest man to ever win a major championship. 

On top of all that, Muirfield is playing brutally. It's been getting tougher as it dries out during the day, at which point it starts to play like a parking lot. 

So, while there are only nine guys within at least three strokes of the lead, this is still almost anyone's tournament (calm down, Rory McIlroy. Your'e still barred from playing this weekend). 

Looking down the leaderboard, there is a group of four players at four over that includes major champions Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer. Those guys tee off three hours before the leaders. 

The group behind them at plus-five has 10 golfers and includes two top-10 players in Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker. 

Teeing off earlier is going to be an advantage, and it will lead to this tournament tightening up. 

Still, it is the stars at the top of the tournament who deserve the bulk of the attention. Here are the three I'll be paying closest attention to. 

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Americans don't enjoy many opportunities to watch Miguel Angel Jimenez golf, and it's a shame. The PGA could use a little more of this: 

As I mentioned above, Jimenez is trying to set the new age standard for eldest major winner, and he is trying to do so just four months after returning from a broken leg suffered while skiing.

He also is playing with a band around his arm to help the swelling tendons causing tennis elbow. He has a lot working against him.

However, his formula for success isn't overly demanding. His driving distance is slightly below tournament average, but with 18-of-28 fairways hit, he is well above average. 

He's been decent but not spectacular with his approach game, but his short game has been masterful. There is no reason he can't keep that touch for two more days. 

I see him falling off the lead by a couple of strokes but hanging around to be a factor on Sunday. 

Tiger Woods 

There is a lot to like about Tiger Woods' chances, but he has to make that payoff on Saturday by grabbing the lead. 

Woods ended Friday with seven straight bogey-free holes and capped it off with a birdie on 18. He must keep that momentum rolling. As we all know, he is at his best when in the lead on Sunday.  

On Friday, Woods missed a couple of short putts while struggling with the slower greens. He will face far more consistent green speeds on Saturday, and when the putting surface turns into a speedway, there is no one better with the flat iron. 

There is more than just putting that plays into Tiger's hands. He has been sacrificing distance off the tee for accuracy. Leaving the driver in the bag more often than not, Woods has hit 75 percent of his fairways while coming up 16 yards short of the tournament average. 

This has led to him hitting 66 percent of his greens in regulation, which is six percent higher than the tournament average. This is an extremely sustainable way for Woods to play. 

When he has struggled in his march back to the No. 1 ranking, it is typically because he has put himself in bad position off the tee. He's proven he can play it safe here and still score. 

Tiger Woods will take a two-stroke lead into the final round. 

Dustin Johnson

It is exciting to see Dustin Johnson near the top of the leaderboard in a major. You just never know what you're going to get. 

He is one of the most exciting players to watch on tour to begin with. He has prodigious distance and a deft touch. 

However, in major golf, this has only led to him being in a position to turn out some major blunders. 

There was the bunker incident at the 2010 PGA Championship where he grounded his club while not realizing he was hitting out of a hazard. He was in the lead on the 72nd hole at the time and wound up missing out on the eventual two-man playoff. 

He also fell apart on Sunday at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by turning a three-stroke lead to an eighth-place finish with an 82. That round featured the right-handed Johnson hacking left-handed after a wayward shot put him in a terrible position.

Then there was 2011 at this very tournament. He was trailing leader Darren Clarke by two shots at the 14th hole, and he hit his second shot out of bounds with an iron. 

These kinds of things just don't happen to anyone else. 

At some point, DJ is going to win a major. He is far too talented not to. However, whether or not it is this one is anyone's guess. 

When it comes to expectations for Dustin Johnson, expect the unexpected.