Things to look out for on Day 4

The first three days have flown by at Royal St George’s – now it all comes down to this.

Louis Oosthuizen leads The 149th Open ahead of the final round, which he will begin a stroke clear of the mightily impressive debutant Collin Morikawa.

Several others will fancy making a late charge for the Claret Jug and there will be no shortage of entertainment around the fairways before the challengers take to the course this afternoon.

Here’s a look at what to look out for, starting with some intriguing action this morning…

BOX OFFICE BRYSON SET TO DRAW CROWDS

Whatever your verdict on Bryson DeChambeau, watching him is never dull.

Saturday saw the American card a 2-over 72 after a typically high-octane round which included the use of a wood to get himself out the rough on the 7th.

He was out early on the practice green ahead of his 9.10am start alongside fellow countryman Chez Reavie and of the early pairings, don’t be surprised to see DeChambeau draw the biggest crowds.

RACE FOR THE SILVER MEDAL

Just two amateurs remain to battle it out for the Silver Medal on the final day in Sandwich.

Matthias Schmid, who stands at level par for the week, is the frontrunner and begins with a five-stroke advantage over Yuxin Lin, who set off in the fourth group of the day.

Schmid will therefore know exactly what he needs to do by the time he heads down the back nine, which he will do in front of plenty of supporters given his pairing with home favourite Lee Westwood.

WHO WILL BE THE LEADING BRIT?

Speaking of home favourites, the English challenge faltered yesterday as none were able to truly seize the initiative and close the gap on the frontrunners

Paul Casey and Andy Sullivan are best placed, both on -5, and will set off 10 minutes apart in the early afternoon.

Sullivan is joined by Scot Robert MacIntyre, who flew into contention to finish as the leading Brit by shooting a super Saturday 65.

The round culminated in a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th green from an area known as ‘Sandy Lyle’s dip’ – so called because of the Scot failing to make it up the hill from Duncan’s Hollow en route to winning the 1985 Championship – and he will hope for a similarly inspired display today as he looks to continue making a case for Ryder Cup selection.

Danny Willett (-4) is also right in the mix to finish as the best of British, with an English quartet of Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Wallace and Aaron Rai a shot further back.

Sam Horsfield, meanwhile, will play alongside Rory McIlroy with both sat on 1-under going into the final day.

WHO WILL SET SCOREBOARD PRESSURE?

Oosthuizen and Morikawa may lead the way but there is a wealth of talent waiting in the wings ready to capitalise on any slip-ups.

Those sat three or four shots back would love nothing more than a score in the low-to-mid 60s to set scoreboard pressure before sitting with their feet up in the clubhouse and watching the action unfold.

Of those, Jon Rahm is perhaps the one to watch. The US Open champion’s chances of back-to-back majors are not completely done and dusted and he resumes on -7 at 2.15pm.

Something along the lines of his eye-catching 64 from Friday would put him right in amongst it and set up a grandstand finish.

Eight-under duo Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners will also look to make a surge while Mackenzie Hughes and Dylan Frittelli cannot be discounted a shot back.

A THREE-HORSE RACE?

If pressure doesn’t come from the chasing pack, there is a chance Championship Sunday could become an intriguing three-way battle.

Oosthuizen, Morikawa and Spieth were tied for the lead at 11-under after 14 holes yesterday and though consecutive bogeys saw Spieth drop back, he will be desperate to make amends early on today and start closing the gap.

Alternatively, could we see a finish like 2016 where the final pairing surge clear?

On that occasion, it was Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson trading blows before the inspired Swede pulled clear to win his first Claret Jug and this time around, the final pairing also contains a Champion Golfer and a player looking for his first Open crown.

Morikawa would become the eighth straight first-time Open winner if he was to overhaul the South African, who is hoping to back up his memorable triumph at St Andrews in 2010.

If Oosthuizen is looking for omens, he could do worse than checking the calendar. The date when he pulled clear to win 11 years ago? July 18.