The thing about a very late tee-off time is that you can perform those humdrum, routine chores before getting down to the serious business of trying to win a Major title.

Amid the anticipation and prepaation of the third round of the Open Championship at Carnoustie yesterday, Jordan Spieth had the opport-

unity to nip to a high-street barbers for a quick hair cut. “It’s a bit high and tight and shorter than I usually get it,” he said of his severe Scottish shearing.

A cut above the rest? Well, not quite. Spieth was brilliant on an absorbing day on the links but he is still sharing the lead heading into a final round which promises to be a cracker as he aims to become the first back-to-back champion since Padraig Harrington a decade ago. His brilliant 65 for a nine-under tally left him perched alongside US comp-atriots Xander Schauffelle (inset) and Kevin Kisner on a juicy leaderboard that’s as tight as Spieth’s clip.

Tiger Woods’ brief appearance at the top midway through his round generated the kind of giddy panting that could have birled a weather vane and he is lurking four shots back on five-under with the in-form Francesco Molinari taking up the baton as the leading European on six-under-par after a purposeful 65.

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood both endured topsy turvy afternoons but are still sharing sixth, four off the pace. With a strengthening wind predicted for the final round, things could be intriguing.

“I’ve always wanted to battle it out with Tiger in a Major – who hasn’t?” Spieth said as he looked ahead to the final-day possibilities. “I can certainly draw on all the Major championship experiences, good and bad, that I’ve had. And I’ve had a career’s worth in a few years.”

Spieth was right up for this from the word go. There wasn’t much wind to throw caution to but he did it anyway.

A driver off the first trundled to within 12-feet of the flag and his eagle-putt toppled in the side door. “We were on the range kind of talking it over, and I said to my caddie Michael, ‘do we like driver again?’,” said Spieth of that gung ho, first-tee decision.

“He said, ‘no, you lay it up’. But walking to the tee, I thought, ‘how about I just send it on No 1?’ Michael was like, ‘I put my chips behind anything that you decide’. That kind of gave me that little extra boost.”

Spieth was up and running. The conditions were ripe for a robust offensive and the leaderboard was splattered with so much red it resembled an

abattoir floor.

Justin Rose, who had made a vital putt of 14-feet on the 18th green during Friday’s round to make the cut, was a man galvanised and he showed what could be achieved with a surge up the order. His seven-under 64, which propelled him to four-under, equalled the lowest score in a Carnoustie Open and featured a back nine of 30. A brace of birdie threes on the formidable 17th and 18th underlined Rose’s majesty.

“I think the birdie on 18 [on Friday] freed me up,” he said. “I had nothing to lose.”

Others did, though. Zach Johnson, sharing top spot overnight, looked to be leading a charmed existence when he rolled in an outrageous eagle putt on the sixth and then conjured a 30-footer for birdie as an encore on the next. His challenge unravelled, however, as he spilled

three shots at the 11th and 12th in a one-over round which left him on five-under.

When Woods birdied three holes in a row to vault up the standings the excitement was palpable. A fine salvage operation on the 18th to save par in a 66 left him lurking ominously but Spieth was marching on.

The 24-year-old’s superbly executed tee-shot on the exacting par-3 16th

illuminated his round as he held the small portion of the green near the tricky pin position and holed the 10-footer for a vital birdie.

Fleetwood, with a 71, and McIlroy, 70, both struggled to generate any real momentum.

McIlroy delivered a fist pump after making a second birdie in a row on the 15th but his failure to get up and down from the side of the 16th tempered that vigour. Another bogey on 18 was a slumping anti-climax.

“I’m disappointed but I just need to get off to a fast start on Sunday,” he said.

Schauffele, last year’s Tour Championship winner, added a 67 to his tally to join the three-way tie at the top while Kisner was bogey-free in a 68.

“His hair looks like a military grade cut,” said Kisner of Spieth’s crop.It could be handy in the frontline battle today.