British Open 2013 Leaderboard: Updates on Golf's Top Stars on Day 3

Fast course conditions sent scores skyrocketing in Friday's second round at the 2013 Open Championship, as the Muirfield Golf Links finally showed its fangs after a rather diffident opening 18 holes.

Miguel Jimenez heads into moving day with a one-stroke lead at three-under following his even-par 71 Friday, walking away unscathed in a round that saw plenty elite golfers fold. The 49-year-old Jimenez stands above the foursome of Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods, the latter of whom will obviously receive the most chatter.

Many of these players had the distinct fortune of playing during the early-morning hours during Round 2, a fate which allowed them to take advantage of what little moisture Muirfield's greens and fairways have this week.

They won't be so lucky going forward. With play already well underway during Saturday's critical third round, the field's top players will watch on as the dregs of the field make their way through the more amenable conditions—hardening the day for their counterparts.

While the day is slightly more humid and overcast than it has been the first two days of the event, conditions remain fast. Players are going to have to control their pace and perhaps even drop down a club or two—even when the temptation is to blast forward with abandon. Each of the players topping the leaderboard have obviously done a solid job of containing their composure; otherwise, they'd be at happy hour with Rory McIlroy by now.

It will just be interesting to see whether they can stay there. There have already been a couple high numbers floating around from notables, and Open Championships are a test of 72-hole wills, not 36. 

With the leaders not too long from their tee box, we'll soon get to find out. Be sure to check back in throughout the day as the leaderboard updates with the latest scores from on the course.

2013 Open Championship Leaderboard

Round 3 Viewing Information

When: Saturday, July 20

Where: Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

Watch: ESPN

Stream: WatchESPN

Stars to Watch

T-2. Tiger Woods (-2)

When Tiger walked off the course, having carded a critical birdie to end his second round at 71, most knew that he shot a pretty good round. Though he shot himself in the foot nearly every time he was mounting momentum, Woods was even par for the day and two under overall. At the very least, it seemed fair to say he'd be hanging out on the fringes of the top five to 10 in the field.

It's safe to say nearly no one thought the world's top-ranked golfer would be a mere stroke behind the leader, a 49-year-old man looking to become the oldest champion in history. Jimenez is a great story and his victory would make for one helluva after-round cigar circle, but the overwhelming probability is that the Spaniard falters just enough to allow someone of a younger demographic take the win.

In other words, Tiger is in his best position to win a major in a very long time. One could even argue Woods is in the proverbial lead if you want to totally scoff at Jimenez's chances—which I'm not ready to do quite yet. 

Still, you know the story by now. George W. Bush was still in office, Tiger was a married man and the world did not yet know the masterful dance skills of Cousin Terio the last time Woods won a major at the 2008 U.S. Open. That's all just dandy.

What's clear, though, is that if Woods' putting stays at its current level, it will be tough for anyone to rip the Claret Jug from his hands. Through the first two rounds, Tiger has one-putted 18 times, tied with Lee Westwood for the most in the tournament. His 1.58 putts-per-hole average is well below the overall mark of 1.78. 

It's equally obvious Woods came into Muirfield with a well-formed plan of attack. He's averaging a Senior Tour-esque 269 yards per drive, trading in the bombastic shots of his contemporaries for a more accurate approach. He has hit 75 percent of his fairways through 36 holes, a trend that again puts competitors at a disadvantage if it continues.

Fair or not, skepticism about whether Tiger can keep this up through four rounds is understandable. We'll just have to see how he does Saturday.

T-11. Adam Scott (+1)

Lo and behold, Adam Scott is in contention at a major championship. Where have we seen this before? Oh, everywhere? OK, cool. Sorry for asking.

Scott, playing perhaps the day's most even-keeled round, carded a one-over 71 to bring his tournament score to the same and is only four strokes off the lead. The 32-year-old South Australian had just three scores that weren't par in his second round (two bogeys, one birdie), playing a vastly similar style to Tiger.

While not quite on the putting stratosphere of Tiger—Scott is averaging 1.72 putts per hole—he's made up for it with even better striking off the tee. Scott has hit 82.14 percent of his fairways, tied with Henrik Stenson for second place behind Francesco Molinari. He's hit a mediocre 23 greens in regulation, which suggests some wariness with his irons, but Scott has not beaten himself when he's made mistakes and saves well when he absolutely needs to.

If that sounds like a familiar formula, that's exactly because it is. One hellish weekend at this year's U.S. Open aside, Scott has been one of the most consistently strong major players over the past two years. Excluding Merion, Scott's worst finish in a major championship over his past five appearances is a tie for 15th and he has three top-10 finishes.

That obviously includes Scott's Masters triumph, where he finally got the 80-pound gorilla off his back. Now comfortably a major champion and understandably ranked among the best in the world, Scott's handling of his situation this weekend will be a nice indicator of how to treat him going forward. He was firmly in the hunt through the first two rounds at the U.S. Open before fading, and you don't get an 80-pound gorilla straight chilling on your back without a few cases of the yips.

It's very possible that even par for the entire event will be the winning score. That means playing just one under the rest of the way will put Scott in a position to take it. The question is whether he'll be able to do it.

T-11. Phil Mickelson (+1)

Such is the situation for Mickelson, himself just four strokes behind Jimenez. Lefty had what can only be described as the quintessential Mickelson round Friday, taking shots and giving them back like an office gift exchange at Christmastime. 

The 43-year-old American carded two double-bogeys, including a particularly laughable five on the par-three 16th. There were many who harped on about the course conditions—hard, fast, with pin placements frustrating enough to want to bend your club like a paperclip—but Mickelson's may have taken the cake.

Asked about his frustrating 16th, a hole that took a mediocre round and made it bad, Lefty somehow convinced himself that a crosswind was to blame for his putting woes, per Yahoo! Sports' Shane Bacon:

Really? That was the best you could come up with, Phil? You sure your contacts didn't get a little dry or that someone didn't put a Snack Pack right in the middle of the green when you started putting? I know how distracting a Snack Pack can be.

Aside from silly excuses and semi-whiny complaints, Mickelson ought to be pleased with how the first two rounds have gone. He has just two top-10 finishes in his Open Championship career. And considering he just won his first European title in 20 years at last week's Scottish Open, it's rather impressive that he's kept the stellar play rolling through six rounds now.

No one goes out and wants to shoot 74. But on a day where plenty of contenders were in that general score range, it's not the end of the world. Mickelson walks into Saturday's third round just one stroke more behind than when he walked in Friday, a minor success when it's easy to take away negativity.

Perhaps Mickelson needs to take a queue from his most storied rival, Tiger, and go away from Woods for the most part. Lefty has only hit 57.2 percent of his fairways, ranking among the bottom rung of players remaining in the event. He's walking a tightrope for now kept up by his solid putting, but Mickelson's history on links courses makes this a tenuous balance, at best. 

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