US Senior Open of Golf 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Miguel Angel Jimenez never won a major championship during his PGA career, narrowly missing out with a second-place finish at the 2000 U.S. Open. 

He's 18 holes away from rectifying that on the Champions Tour.

The eccentric Spaniard carded a one-under 69 in Saturday's third round, giving him a one-stroke lead over Gene Sauers heading into the last 18 at the 2016 U.S. Senior Open.

Barring either Jimenez or Sauers experiencing a collapse, the winner should come from the final group. The leaders are the only players currently under par at Scioto Country Club, with the Columbus, Ohio-based course playing difficult all week. Ian Woosnam, Loren Roberts and Billy Mayfair sit tied for third at one over overall.

Position	Player	Score
1	Miguel Angel Jimenez	-3
2	Gene Sauers	-2
3	Ian Woosnam	+1
3	Loren Roberts	+1
3	Billy Mayfair	+1
6	David Frost	+2
6	Bernhard Langer	+2
6	Scott Dunlap	+2
6	Joe Durant	+2
6	Michael Allen	+2
6	Glen Day	+2
6	Joey Sindelar	+2

Jimenez was one of only four golfers Saturday to shoot under par. Rain and heavy winds created nearly impossible conditions at certain points, with Jimenez commenting that he was happy to escape relatively unscathed.

"The conditions, they are tough today, especially because of the wind," he said, per the Associated Press (via USA Today). "The greens were softer on the first two rounds, but it's the gusting wind there that (makes it) not easy to choose the club, the right club. Sometimes it will go a place that you don't (want) to, you know?"

He shot a nearly flawless front nine, scoring pars on Nos. 2 and 7 to take the turn at 33. His back nine was anything but as breezy, with a five-hole stretch from No. 12 to No. 16 defining the wild ups and downs of this tournament.

A birdie at the 561-yard 12th got Jimenez up to three under for the day, but then he carded a pair of frustrating bogeys on 13 and 14 to drop back to one under. In typical Jimenez fashion, he allowed that to affect him for all of eight seconds before birdieing the difficult 454-yard par-four 15th. Another bogey on No. 16 finished his round out at one under for the day and concluded a roller-coaster stretch of holes.

Not all were as lucky.

Joey Sindelar, who led after 36 holes, tumbled into a tie for sixth after carding an ugly 77. Sindelar recorded a pair of double bogeys and four of the standard-issue edition after beginning his day with a birdie on No. 1. 

"Golf's hard," he said, per the AP. "U.S. Open's harder. And I thought for the most part, I was pretty happy with the way I played. It wasn't horrible. Just a couple of uglies, and it played hard out there. Problem is, we've got a pretty good guy out there in the lead and a couple more really good ones right behind him."

His playing partner, Mayfair, wound up at one over overall after shooting 75 on Saturday. Birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 were the only things keeping him from total disaster. Mayfair sat at seven over after back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14.

The final round should continue this war of attrition. The player who walks away with the championship will be the one who survives dreary conditions, both of the USGA's making and the Ohio skies' making. With more rain and wind heading the golfers' way Sunday, per Weather.com, Jimenez will have earned it and then some if he holds onto this lead.