Watson on course for Open triumph

The five-time champion is an amazing 11 years older than the previous oldest major winner and after falling from two ahead to one behind with three holes of his third round to play Watson produced more moments of inspiration to regain the lead.

In went a 30-footer on the 16th, the green where he had holed from 60 feet the previous day, and a kindly bounce at the par five next set up a two-putt birdie and a par on the last saw him sign for a 71 to give him a one-shot lead at four under.

His closest challengers are now Tasmanian Mathew Goggin and England's Ross Fisher, for whom a first major title may yet come on the day his wife Jo gives birth to their first child.

She was due on Tuesday and he has been saying all along he will pull out if she goes into labour - even if he has a six-shot lead.

As it is, birdies on the 16th and 17th like Watson meant a 70, while Goggin, who has not won a tournament anywhere since 1999 and was first reserve for the tournament until Wednesday of last week, moved up from joint ninth with a 69.

Joint fourth only two back are Fisher's compatriot Lee Westwood and South African Retief Goosen, while American Ryder Cup pair Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink are the only other two players under par.

Westwood had joined Goggin and Watson out in front with a birdie on the long 17th, but from the centre of the last fairway he came up short in the bank of dense rough.

His first chip snagged in the grass and the ball hardly moved, but while a double bogey would have left a horrible taste in his mouth he then got up and down to drop only one stroke.