Stenson-Mickelson Battle at Round 3 British Open 2016 12:00, 17/07/2016

On a gloomy day that saw winds gusting to 30 miles per hour and greens going un-mowed, the 40-year-old Swede and the 46-year-old American traded the lead several times, but Stenson shot 33 on the difficult closing nine to post a three-round total of 12-under-par 201, one better than his playing partner.

The Stenson-Mickelson pairing was essentially match play, as no other player mounted a charge. Bill Haas shot 69 and is at six under — good for third place, but still six strokes off the pace. Andrew Johnston, the bushy-bearded Englishman, was fourth at five under, with Americans J. B. Holmes (four under) and Steve Stricker (in a three-way tie for third at three under) barely in sight.

That sets up a final-round duel between Stenson, a perennial contender and European Ryder Cup star who has never won a major, and Mickelson, who has won five. The weather forecast is for cool and windy conditions, but one assumes the R&A will send out a few blokes with mowers to restore a little zip to Troon's putting surfaces. This morning, not wanting a repeat of last year's Saturday at St. Andrews, which saw second-round play suspended for several hours because balls were rolling on their own, officials decided not to mow or roll Troon's already-sluggish greens.