22 July 2012 08:35 GMT

Australia’s Adam Scott goes into the final round of the 141^st Open with a four shot lead and at the top of two of the statistical categories.

The 31 year-old, who lives in the idyllic Crans Sur Sierre in Switzerland, and who has been a member of five Presidents Cup team since 2003, tops the Driving Distance tables (with an average of 319.8 yards) and shares with Zach Johnson the distinction of having posted the most birdies in the field (15).

The Australian was calmness personified when he visited the media centre after posting his third round 68 and that is hardly surprising because he seems in full control of his game. He goes in to the last round 14^th in Fairways Hit (74%), 14^th in Greens in Regulation (70%) and 20^th in Average Putts (28.67).

Scott has a considerable lead over Dustin Johnson (312.0 yards) at the top of the Driving distance table. Golf fans love watching the bombers so it is probably worth noting they are followed by Branden Grace (303.0), Louis Oosthuizen (302.8), Rory McIlroy (302.0) and Harris English (301.7). The fact that only six players have an average of over 300 yards suggests that the majority of competitors are sticking to fairway woods and irons off the tee.

It is often said that Ernie Els still has the long game to be a regular winner and that is backed up by the fact that he tops the Greens in Regulation tables along with Joost Luiten with an average of 80%. Italy’s Francesco Molinari (88%) leads the Fairways hit category ahead of Tiger Woods (88%) while New Zealand’s Steven Alker and England’s Dale Whitnell are the top performers on the greens with an average of 27 putts a round.

The dubious distinction of worst putter (at least in terms of the statisics) goes to the aforementioned Luiten (with an average of 32 per round). The shortest driver is Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (256.2 yards).

If you want to see disasters you do not have to go too far from the clubhouse to find them.

The hardest hole at Lytham over the first three rounds has been the 478-yard par-4 3^rd which has an average of 4.471. It has yielded just 20 birdies but has produced 133 bogeys, 29 double bogeys and 5 of the dreaded “others”.

Just 59% of the field have managed to hit the fairway from the tee and the green is even more elusive with just 31% of players hitting it in regulation.

The easiest hole on the course is the 355 yard 13^th which has an average of 3.846 having yielded 106 birdies, 245 pars, 39 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and no others.