[Photo: Getty images]

Former world No.1 Adam Scott was as surprised as anyone to be well in truly in the mix for an Open Championship win after another day of carnage at Royal Troon. On moving day, rain combined with wind to drown the hopes of a host of top players, including Scott’s fellow Australian, Jason Day.

Scott took advantage of perfect morning conditions and fired a brilliant 66 that improved his total by five shots to even-par for three rounds and just four shots off the lead. At the time, Scott couldn’t fathom the deluge that was about to dump on the south Ayrshire coastline. “I’m probably not going to be in the mix, let’s be honest,” Scott said before the final groups had teed off. “It will be interesting to watch. I’ll be watching. I’m going to need wind and everything to be in my favour to kind of be in the mix.”

It was in his favour.

The 2013 US Open champion, Justin Rose, battled for a 73 to drop to three-under. Rose was joined in a tie for second by PGA champion Xander Schauffele, Dylan Brown, Thriston Lawrence, Sam Burns, and Russell Henley. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler (71) was lurking at two-under. Overnight leader Shane Lowry, the 2019 winner, struggled to a 77 to drop six shots to one-under

Four shots off the pace, Scott is still in with a chance with one round to go in the year’s final major. Considering 99 of the last 100 (and each of the last 23) Open winners have been in the top-10 entering the final round.

Day battles the rain. Photo: Ross Flannigan

Photo: Ross Flannigan

Scott said he would need flawless golf on Sunday in Scotland to have a hope of putting pressure on the final groups.

“It’s the finest margins at the highest level; we play on the edge all the time,” Scott said. “To win golf tournaments, not many guys are winning not playing very well. You have to be [in the mix]. A few guys are every week, and the rest are making up the numbers.”

Having teed off jsut after 10am local time (7pm AEST), Scott, playing his 24th consecutive Open, threatened to shoot an unfathomable 64. Only several unlucky breaks on the back nine prevented him from a bogey-free round.

Ross Flannigan

Starting the third day at five-over after a second-round 77, the Queenslander got off to a flyer with birdies on the opening two holes. Scott, who turned 44 on Tuesday, played the front nine in four-under.

Scott burned the edge of the hole at No.15 for bogey and then had a potential chip-in lip out at the 17th, which would have secured him a seventh birdie for the round. “The chip? Yeah, it looked good to me. I was excited for a second,” he said. “It’s nice out there (at the moment). It was good. You can’t really complain about 66, but when you’re so far back, you kind of need everyone possible (to work). I think I got what I deserved out there. I played some fairly good golf and didn’t make too many errors.”

He had delivered on his Friday night promise to shoot “one hell of a round” on day three in a bid to climb back up the leaderboard at the Open Championship at Troon, a day after scraping inside the 36-hole cut by a shot. “[I felt] yesterday [77] counted me out, with a lot of players who are not steady Eddies, fell out of contention.”

Meanwhile, Scott’s fellow major winner and former world No.1 Day’s hopes were effectively washed out with a 76 dropping him to four over – eight shots back of the lead. Victory will likely be too tall an order for Day, who was tied second at last year’s Open at Hoylake.

Day started the round one-under overall, but bogeyed the first two holes. He bounced back with two birdies to make the turn even with the card. The brutal back nine was where it all came undone. The 36-year-old winner of 13 PGA Tour titles dropped shots at Nos. 10, 13, 14, 15 and 17.

Scott and Day were the only two Australians to have made the cut, when 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith missed the cut alongside countrymen Min Woo Lee, Elvis Smylie and amateur Jasper Stubbs.