On Saturday, the sun finally came out here, glistening off Sandwich Bay and the chalk white cliffs of Ramsgate in the distance. The larks sang as they floated overhead, while the hay swayed in the gentle breeze.
And the birdies also returned to the Royal St. George`s course in the third round of the British Open.
Especially for Masters champion Bernhard Langer, who posted his second consecutive subpar round of the tournament Saturday, a 2-under 68. He`s the only player in the field to beat par on successive days, but the improved conditions were felt generally. Twenty-one players shot par or better after only five did so Friday in the harsh winds and driving rain.
Langer`s efforts left the West German tied with Australian David Graham for the third-round lead at 209, three shots ahead of four players, including America`s Mark O`Meara, and four ahead of Tom Kite and Peter Jacobsen.
”I was quite happy with my game,” said Langer, the onetime owner of the putting malady known as the ”yips.” He was so free of that ailment Saturday that he one-putted seven times on the large, undulating Royal St. George`s greens and complained about missing three other putts.
”I missed from eight feet on No. 12, 16 feet on 10 and from 15 on feet on 17,” he said. ”I think I have the experience now in the majors that will help me in the final round. It hasn`t been very long since I`ve been in a similar situation.”
But if experience is the measure of Sunday`s final round, Langer will have all he can handle in Graham. Graham, who shared the second-round lead with Sandy Lyle, was 4 under par at one time, but suffered late-round putting miseries, bogeying the 16th and 17th holes by three-putting and finishing with a par 70.
Graham is seeking his third major tournament victory, having won the PGA in 1979 and the U.S. Open in 1981. And he admits he hopes to join Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as the only winners of golf`s grand slam: the Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and British Open.
”My personal goal is to win the grand slam,” he said.
Graham birdied the first, fourth, seventh and 12th holes with his continued sharp iron play, but he ran into trouble on the back nine.
Because Royal St. George`s is so tricky, with no two holes facing the same direction and 11 of the 18 fairways having dog legs, the players usually just hope to shoot par on the back nine. In fact, both Langer and Graham were 2 under after the front nine Saturday, but while Langer parred the back nine, Graham was 2 over.
Graham said an afternoon thunderstorm, which delayed play for about an hour, changed the speed of the greens.
”And I couldn`t make the adjustment,” he said. ”I left a couple of putts short, and then on 16 I got scared about doing it again, so I gave it a run, went 18 inches past and missed the putt coming back. But all in all, it was a good round.”
One of his main assets was an ability to stay in the fairways. This is essential on this course, whose wiry rough usually forces players to chip out with a wedge.
Meanwhile, the American invasion finally was felt Saturday.
Kite shot himself into contention with a 67, the second lowest round of the day behind England`s Mark James, who shot a 66. Jacobsen, recovering from his opening-day quadruple bogey 9 on the 14th hole, shot a 68 to tie Kite.
They are four strokes back and within striking range on this links course that has experienced severe weather changes all week and where there are predictions the tail end of Hurricane Anna will hit Sunday.
”We say at PGA tournaments at home that anyone within five strokes the final day has a chance,” said Jacobsen. `Anyone within seven strokes here has a chance.”
That would also include Fuzzy Zoeller, who shot a par 70 and is six strokes behind, and D.A. Weibring, who slipped to a 4-over-par 74 and was five strokes behind.
Tied for second, three strokes out, are O`Meara, Ian Woosnam of Wales, first-round leader Christy O`Connor, who recovered from his 76 Friday with a 72, and Lyle, who struggled to a 73 while a highly partisan crowd rooted on the home favorite.
”I hit a lot of greens in regulation,” said O`Meara. `If I play like I did today, I feel I can win.”
Having no chance to win are Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler and Player, who fell victim to the unique third-round cut (in addition to second-round cut) in the British Open.
Among those who will be teeing it up for the final round, but who are way down the list, are Larry Nelson, with a 75 for a 10-over-par 220; Seve Ballesteros, the defending champion and pretournament favorite, who shot 70 Saturday, but is at 219, 10 strokes out; Ben Crenshaw, who also shot a par 70 and is at 218; Andy Bean, Tom Watson, Gary Koch and Lee Trevino at 217; and Corey Pavin at 216.
