ESPN 2008 Open Championship

Throughout this week, ESPN.com golf writer Jason Sobel will be live blogging from the 137th Open Championship, bringing you inside information and analysis from Royal Birkdale. Refresh this page often to keep track of all the entries in each round. (All times are local.)

Have a question or comment for Sobel? E-mail him at britishopenblog@gmail.com.

• Round 1 Live Blog
• Round 2 Live Blog
• Round 3 Live Blog

7 p.m.: Well, that'll do it from Royal Birkdale. Thanks for keeping up with the Live Blog throughout the week. We went live for 31 hours, and I received about 1,600 e-mails, so your contributions are much appreciated, even though I couldn't post 'em all.

Next Live Blog: Three weeks from now at Oakland Hills, Mich., for the PGA Championship. Until then, hit 'em straight …

6:56 p.m.: As for overall in majors the past 51 years (when the PGA Championship became a stroke-play event in 1958), this tied for the fourth-highest total in relation to par:

• 1963: Julius Boros, 9-over (U.S. Open at Country Club)
• 1974: Hale Irwin, 7-over (U.S. Open at Winged Foot)
• 1999: Paul Lawrie, 6-over (Open Championship at Carnoustie)
• 1958: Tommy Bolt, 3-over (U.S. Open at Southern Hills)
• 2008: Padraig Harrington, 3-over (Open Championship at Royal Birkdale)

6:54 p.m.: For those who have been asking where this ranks among the highest scores for an Open champion, it's the second-highest in relation to par since 1960.

The highest? Paul Lawrie, who reached a playoff with Jean Van de Velde and Justin Leonard at 6-over in 1999 at Carnoustie.

6:50 p.m.: How prestigious is it to win back-to-back titles at the Open? Take a look at this list of players who have done it in the past 50 years:

• Padraig Harrington (2007-08)
• Tiger Woods (2005-06)
• Tom Watson (1982-83)
• Lee Trevino (1971-72)
• Arnold Palmer (1961-62)

Just in case you don't recognize those other four names, that's some pretty good company right there.

6:47 p.m.: Looking ahead, Padraig Harrington will head to Turnberry next year looking to be the first player to three-peat at the Open since Peter Thomson did from 1954 to '56.

6:44 p.m.: I mentioned this in my final-round preview piece yesterday, but it's worth noting now that Harrington has won the Open. Here are his totals in the major statistical categories for the week:

• Driving distance: 292.1 yards (T-45)
• Driving accuracy: 51.8 percent (Rank: T-35)
• Greens in regulation: 52.8 percent (Rank: T-30)
• Putts per green: 1.61 (Rank: T-7)

6:39 p.m.: Playing in that final group with Harrington, Greg Norman closes with a bogey on the last hole to shoot 77 -- a worse score (though one better in relation to par) than he shot after holding a 6-shot 54-hole lead at the 1996 Masters.

Norman finishes T-3 (with Henrik Stenson), and he'll be invited back to Augusta next year for the first time since 2002.

6:36 p.m.: Padraig Harrington cozies up his birdie putt next to the hole, taps in for par and a 1-under 69. And he successfully defends his Open Championship title!

Great stuff by Harrington today. He made three bogeys to close the front side but played the final nine holes in 4-under-par to run away with the championship.

6:30 p.m.: Padraig Harrington's second shot rolls just past the pin and to the back of the green on 18. Well, unless he six-putts from there …

6:28 p.m.: E-mail from K.C. in Parts Unknown:

If Greg Norman ties for fourth or better, doesn't he get back into the Masters next year?

That is correct. Norman can still make a double-bogey here and finish T-4 with Jim Furyk and Chris Wood. He'll be at Augusta … if he chooses.

6:24 p.m.: E-mail from Matt in Boston:

It's not over yet; he still needs to remember to sign his scorecard before leaving the tent.

Really? Michelle Wie just called and said she didn't think that was necessary.

6:21 p.m.: E-mail from J.J. in Parts Unknown:

Do you think Harrington's wrist injury is real, or was it just a deceitful tactic used to get attention?

I wasn't sure, so I asked Retief Goosen. He said Harrington was faking it the whole time and couldn't have played like that if he was really injured.

Meanwhile, Harrington just tapped in his eagle putt (well, it was about a 6-footer). He moves to 3-over. Up 4 on the final hole. So … who thinks he could hop on the 18th tee box right now and still win this for him? Just need to make triple-bogey. I know I can do it. I'm great at making triple-bogeys.

6:15 p.m.: The BBC just showed the official engraver starting to etch into the Claret Jug. I think he was working on the big asterisk first, then he'll add Padraig Harrington's name in small print later on.

Kidding, kidding. I'm absolutely in the No Asterisk Camp.

In fact, if anything, the fact that Harrington is going to win takes away from Tiger Woods' missing this tournament. After all, he won last year with Woods in the field, so it's very possible that the same thing could have happened had Woods been healthy this time around, too. We'll never know, though, so it's not worth debating.

6:13 p.m.: Well, I would say that this thing is all over … but I've seen Padraig Harrington play the final hole of an Open with the lead before.

Harrington actually flirts with double-eagle on 17; he'll be left with a very makeable eagle putt that should all but seal this thing up. Even if he two-putts for birdie, he'll head to the final hole with a 3-shot advantage. Heck, he can knock two into the Barry Burn and still win the Claret Jug with that kind of lead.

(Yes, I know the Barry Burn is at Carnoustie, not here. It was a reference to last year.)

6:06 p.m.: E-mail from Michael in Parts Unknown:

You mentioned Poulter and Harrington, but what about our Ryder Cup team? Any sense of how much money Steve Stricker will make for a nine-way tie for 10th? He was about 150 points behind Woody Austin (who will tie for 40th and make some money of his own)? Ben Curtis will pick up some money, too, but he's well back in the standings.

It should move Stricker up a little bit, but certainly not enough to guarantee his spot on the team. I know many of you are listening to U.S. captain Paul Azinger on the ABC telecast (we have BBC here at the course), so perhaps he's had some opinions on how the American players didn't quite step up this week. With so many points available, you had to figure at least someone would secure his place on the roster, but really no one (other than Furyk and Kim, who already were locks for the team) did that.

6:01 p.m.: Anthony Kim was in this for a while but never made a birdie today and finished bogey-bogey-bogey for his final three holes. That's a 75, which drops him into a big tie for 10th place. Disappointing finish for him, but still not bad considering he'd never really played a true links course before this week.

5:56 p.m.: Here is the list of every European who has claimed back-to-back Open titles in the past 110 years:

• 1905-06: James Braid, St. Andrews-Muirfield
• 1898-99: Harry Vardon, Prestwick-Royal St. George's

With a victory here, Harrington could make that a trio.

5:52 p.m.: At 8-over on the final hole, Henrik Stenson had a chance to make birdie and share the clubhouse lead with Ian Poulter. Instead, he took a bogey, finishing at 9-over, which currently puts him in solo fourth place.

5:48 p.m.: Greg Norman had made eight birdies in 54 holes entering today, but it took 15 holes before he made his first one of the final round. But the Shark is on the board with a 4 at the par-5 15th and moves to 8-over.

But once again, his good fortune encounters misfortune, too. Padraig Harrington two-putts for a birdie of his own; he's now 2 shots clear of Ian Poulter at 5-over.

5:43 p.m.: For what it's worth -- and as unbelievable as it may sound, considering he's only one year removed from being the Open champion and is still the 14th-ranked player in the world -- Padraig Harrington, like Poulter, also was on the outside looking in as far as the Ryder Cup was considered going into the week. Like Poulter, a win (or, likely, anything in the top three) should lock up his status on the team once again.

5:39 p.m.: Even if Harrington (or Stenson or -- heck -- even Norman) wins this thing, Ian Poulter can take solace in this: That putt may have been good enough to clinch a spot on the European Ryder Cup team. He was on the outside looking in coming into this week, but with the amount of points at stake here, he'll likely now be headed to Valhalla in two months.

5:38 p.m.: WOW! What a putt! What a par!

Ian Poulter pours in the 12-footer for par on 18. That's a 69, and he's your clubhouse leader at 7-over.

5:34 p.m.: OK, I've now officially mentioned Henrik Stenson twice this week. He makes birdie at 17 to move to 8-over, 2 behind Harrington and in sole possession of third place.

Stenson is looking to set the world record for fewest Live Blog references by a major champion all-time. I think I might need to catch up, just in case. OK, let's give him a few more mentions:

Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson Henrik Stenson

(There, that should just about get him caught up to Poulter, I think.)

5:33 p.m.: Ian Poulter's chip on 18 is good, but not great. It's pin-high, about 12 feet from the hole. He'll have that left for par.

5:31 p.m.: The good news? Greg Norman finally holed a lengthy putt. The bad news? It was for par. The ugly news? Harrington makes par as well, leaving Norman still 3 shots back with four to play.

5:27 p.m.: E-mail from Eric in Durham, N.C.:

Throw this one at the research department: Has any male even won a major wearing pink pants? Two days in a row??

Actually, he was wearing a pink sweater with white pants yesterday. In fact, he may be wearing the same pants today, but happened to throw them in the washing machine with a red sock last night, so they just look a little, uh, pink-er.

On 18, Poulter's second shot comes up about 30 yards short of the green -- even short of that greenside bunker -- and he'll have a tricky little chip coming up.

5:20 p.m.: It took 13 holes, but we finally have a birdie from the final pairing!

Padraig Harrington rolls it in for a 3 on No. 13. He takes a 1-shot lead on Poulter and three over Kim, Stenson and Norman, who just made bogey to drop to 9-over.

5:18 p.m.: Poulter to clean up for his birdie ... and he misses it left. Ouch. He'll settle for par after getting there in two.

5:14 p.m.: OK, folks: You're playing golf with your buddy. He has an eagle putt. What's the last thing you tell him before he takes the club back?

"Don't leave it short!"

Someone should have said that to Poulter. He leaves his eagle bid about 10 feet short of the hole on 17. Tough one coming up for birdie.

5:10 p.m.: E-mail from Amol in Brookline, Mass.:

How big of a story would a win by Ian Poulter be in his homeland?

Huge. Since 1950, the Open title has been won by Englishmen only five times, and by three different players:

• Nick Faldo, Muirfield (1992)
• Nick Faldo, St. Andrews (1990)
• Nick Faldo, Muirfield (1987)
• Tony Jacklin, Royal Lytham (1969)
• Max Faulkner, Royal Portrush (1951)

Of those, only Jacklin's win came in England.

And Poulter almost can taste it right now. He's on the par-5 17th in two, with an eagle attempt coming up.

5:08 p.m.: Haven't mentioned his name all week, but with a birdie on 15, Henrik Stenson is now at 9-over, in a share of fourth place with Anthony Kim.

5:05 p.m.: Greg Norman with a 12-footer for par on 12 ... and it burns the edge. Bogey for Shark, he's been jumped. Again.

Harrington calmly sinks his par putt, and he is now tied for the lead with Ian Poulter.

5:03 p.m.: We have a new co-leader!

Ian Poulter rolls in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 16, and he's tied for first alongside Harrington and Norman. How about this tally so far today:

• Ian Poulter: three birdies
• Greg Norman and Padraig Harrington (combined): zero birdies

5:01 p.m.: E-mail from Ryan in New York:

How have Norman and Harrington fared over the final seven holes this week?

Norman is 1-under, with three birdies and two bogeys so far. Harrington is also 1-under but has been more all over the place, carding an eagle, four birdies, three bogeys and a double.

4:57 p.m.: E-mail from Brandon in San Diego:

Isn't this exactly how Ben Curtis snuck in and won the Open in 2003? Hey, look who's only three shots back right now!

Make it 4. Curtis just made his second-straight bogey and heads to the 14th tee box at 11-over, 4 shots behind the leaders. Not sure it's going to happen again for Curtis, but someone else could win in a very Curtis-like way.

4:54 p.m.: Despite never having won a major championship, Sergio Garcia was the betting favorite entering the week, but he just closed out a disappointing round of 78 to finish at 17-over. And Garcia was in this thing as of this morning. At 9-over, he was only 1 behind Ian Poulter, who's now 1 off the lead, so it's not as if Sergio was just going through the motions today after being way out of it.

4:50 p.m.: With a great chance to take advantage of the course's first par-5, Ian Poulter misses his birdie putt on 15 to remain at 8-over, 1 behind the leaders. At four holes in front of Wakefield and six in front of the final pairing, Poulter has a chance to post a number, then sit in the clubhouse and wait to see whether it will be good enough.

4:49 p.m.: Well, that advantage for Norman off the tee amounted to a birdie putt that will be about 2 feet closer than that of Harrington. They're both about 25-30 feet away, would be a couple of nice two-putts from there.

4:45 p.m.: We have a new clubhouse leader. Jim Furyk finishes up his round of 71 -- one birdie, 15 pars, two bogeys -- to close at 10-over. Ernie Els & Co. can safely slam the trunk and get on the road.

4:42 p.m.: In my piece last night that broke down what each contender needed to do and avoid, I wrote about Greg Norman's need to hit more fairways. He was 7-for-14 in Round 1, 6-for-14 in Round 2, 3-for-14 in Round 3 and is 1-for-8 so far today.

Make it 2-for-9. Shark crunches his drive on No. 11 -- the first fairway he's found since the opening hole -- and he could be back in the driver's seat, as Harrington is way left. Again.

4:38 p.m.: The 10th green has incurred the most wind -- and needed the most officials' rulings -- the past two days. Padraig Harrington just had an issue where he picked up his marker, placed his ball and had it move. No penalty stroke here, but these guys have to be awfully careful. Harrington makes his par on top of a bogey from Norman and the co-leaders are now at 7-over, 1 shot clear of Ian Poulter and Simon Wakefield.

4:33 p.m.: E-mail from Andrius in Parts Unknown:

If any amateur were to place highly in the championship, like Chris Wood, and earn a large paycheck, can they declare their pro status immediately after the tournament and still get their earnings or do they have to declare their pro status before the tournament to get their winnings?

Nope, they have to declare beforehand. It's sort of like hitting the jackpot at a charity casino night -- you win, and yet you don't. That said, he would be able to keep the status that comes with the win, and would receive exemptions into the other majors for the next five years.

4:30 p.m.: The final pairing of Padraig Harrington and Greg Norman has turned into a NASCAR race -- they just keep going left. Norman actually pulled his drive on 10 so badly that it's behind the gallery. Again.

4:27 p.m.: E-mail from Preston in Bryn Mawr, Pa.:

Where do we set the over/under for the winning score? I'm thinking 8-over, maybe 8.5 to get rid of those pesky pushes.

Eh, I wouldn't go that high, even though guys can't get out of each other's ways as they try to skydive off the top of the leaderboard. With two par-5s left to play -- including the 17th, which is playing almost a full stroke under par -- I'll set the over/under for winning score at 7.5.

4:20 p.m.: Simon Wakefield with a long birdie putt on 10 for a share of the lead ... yikes, that thing's gotta hit a house. Rolls it way past the hole.

Anthony Kim follows with a short par putt on 12 ... no good.

Padraig Harrington with an 8-footer for par on 9 ... uh-uh.

Ian Poulter with a birdie attempt on 14 ... nope.

Greg Norman for par on 9 ... and yes, someone finally makes one.

Forget about jumping the shark. The Shark just jumped Harrington on the leaderboard. He's got sole possession of the lead at 6-over.

4:11 p.m.: E-mail from Sho in NYC:

Do you think Ernie Els is bothering to hang around? Does he need to?

Well, Els and a bunch of other guys -- he's the clubhouse leader at 12-over along with David Howell, Robert Karlsson, Paul Casey and Stephen Ames. Yeah, with things the way they are, I don't think they're going anywhere. Might have the clubs in the car and a pint in their belly, but I'm guessing each one is hanging around just until they can officially leave, knowing that 12-over won't be good enough.

4:07 p.m.: Blog Jinx!

I hit the "publish" button, and Harrington misses a shorty on No. 8. That's a bogey for him, once again dropping him into a tie with Greg Norman atop the board, with Simon Wakefield 1 back, and Ian Poulter and Anthony Kim 2 back. Chris Wood almost just holed out from a bunker on 12, but made bogey to drop to 9-over.

4:05 p.m.: E-mail from James in Padraig Harrington-land:

As a yank living in Ireland, Dublin is noticeably quieter today as people are home rooting for the local hero.

Interestingly enough, last year Harrington went home and played in the little-known Irish PGA prior to the Open. He wound up winning both events. This year, he also played in the Irish PGA before the Open. And, yes, he won it again. Could that be the secret?

4:01 p.m.: Anthony Kim has made the turn in 35, now in a three-way tie for fourth with Chris Wood and Ian Poulter. Eight pars and one bogey for Kim, but he'll need a few red numbers on the back to make a run at this thing. He's burned a few edges already.

Poulter, meanwhile, is getting hot. He's birdied two of the past three holes and punctuated each one with a big-time fist pump.

3:54 p.m.: E-mail from Kevin in Germany:

Who is Chris Wood? Does he have amateur status because he is young and hasn't gone pro yet or will he never become a pro?

Oh, he'll be a pro -- if he follows in Justin Rose's footsteps, it could even be as soon as tomorrow -- but at age 20, he hasn't declared such status yet. A few things about him: Much like ESPN, he was born in Bristol. (England, not Connecticut.) He won the English Golf Union's Order of Merit last year and is a current member of the England under-21 elite squad that so many top pros have been a part of in the younger days.

One more thought on Wood, from Ellen in Huntsville, Ala.:

Chris Wood, great story, but could use a cheeseburger or two. I'm afraid he'll get blown away by a strong enough gust!

He's listed at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds. John Daly, meanwhile, is listed at 5-foot-11, 220 pounds. Hmmm ... somebody ain't tellin' the truth.

3:52 p.m.: Padraig Harrington makes bogey on the par-3 seventh hole, while Greg Norman gets up and down for par. The defending champ is now 5-over, leader by 1 over Norman and 2 over Wood and Wakefield.

3:46 p.m.: E-mail from Kevin in St. Andrews, Scotland:

Now that everyone has endured four days of the sixth hole, can we agree that a 500-yard hole with a stroke average of 4.79 is NOT a par-4? How different would this tournament feel if the course were a par-71? Paddy would be leading the tournament at even-par, with Norman behind him at 2-over and amateur Chris Wood lurking at 3-over.

It wouldn't be different at all! In fact, the leaderboard would look exactly the same, except -- as you mentioned -- everyone would be 4 strokes closer to par. Big deal! As Peter Dawson said after Round 1, the sixth hole is a par-4 on the scorecard, but a par-5 in reality. Why does it matter? Call it a par-8, for all I care, and guys can make double-eagle all day. The notion of par, as I've written many times before, is great for giving fans an idea of where players are on the leaderboard and for helping amateurs play off handicaps, but it means absolutely nothing on this level.

3:43 p.m.: If anyone out there has any connections with the R&A, can you ask them to kindly turn off the air conditioning here in the media center? Seriously, it's only about 60 outside; that huge blast of cold air isn't exactly necessary. We're freezing our Claret Jugs off in here.

3:41 p.m.: Here's a quote from Greg Norman, after his opening round on Thursday:

"When somebody says, 'What's the toughest conditions you've ever played in?' I say Turnberry '86. I know some of these kids might not have been born in '86. That's an exaggeration."

Actually, it's not. Chris Wood was born on Nov. 26, 1987 -- 16 months after Norman's first Open victory.

3:38 p.m.: After a brief rest at Par Station, Greg Norman hops back aboard the Bogey Train. He takes a 5 on the sixth hole and drops to 6-over, two behind Harrington.

3:36 p.m.: Chris Wood with an excellent chance for birdie on No. 10 ... but it slides a few feet past. That would have gotten him to within 2 of the lead.

If he was to actually win this week, he'd be the second-youngest to claim the Claret Jug, behind Young Tom Morris.

3:31 p.m.: Wakefield slipping even further down the Simon list.

From Bob in Vero Beach, Fla.:

Simon Peter. Simon Legree. Nina Simone. Shimon Peres.

From Unknown Name in Parts Unknown:

You forgot playwright Neil Simon.

From Scott in Geneva:

How could you forget about Simon "One of the Durans" Le Bon? Wakefield may be hungry like a wolf, but let's hope he doesn't come undone. If he wins, maybe he'll go to Rio.

3:29 p.m.: Simon Wakefield makes bogey on the sixth hole. Simon Cowell would have been very critical of that par attempt. (Same with Simon the chipmunk.)

3:27 p.m.: E-mail from Joe in Parts Unknown:

At what point can we say that Greg Norman has jumped the shark?

Actually, can't we say that about Padraig Harrington, since technically he jumped the shark on the leaderboard?

3:25 p.m.: Huge story developing! Amateur Chris Wood has just birdied the ninth hole to move to 7-over, in a share of fourth place, just three shots behind Harrington. For the record, when Justin Rose had his remarkable run as an amateur here a decade ago, he finished -- that's right -- T-4.

3:23 p.m.: Couple of routine pars from Padraig Harrington and Greg Norman at the fifth hole. Harrington remains up by 1.

3:18 p.m.: After about 45 seconds of research, I've concluded that if Simon Wakefield wins the Claret Jug today, he'll become one of the eight most famous people named Simon ever. Here's my incredibly well-researched list:

• Simon Cowell
• Simon the chipmunk
• Simple Simon
• Simon Bolivar (yeah, I know it's pronounced differently)
• Paul Simon
• Carly Simon
• Randall Simon

Technically, on the list of "most famous people named Simon," the chipmunk doesn't count. That's good news for Wakefield.

3:12 p.m.: Greg Norman jumps off the bogey train, two-putting for par on No. 4 to remain at 5-over.

Interestingly enough, prior to that bogey-bogey-bogey start, Norman had not dropped shots on consecutive holes all tournament.

3:09 p.m.: Birdie for Simon Wakefield on the fifth hole and he's now tied with Greg Norman in second place. If Wakefield were to win this thing, I think he'd rank just below Ben Curtis and above Todd Hamilton on the list of most unlikely Open champions of the past half-dozen years. (For the record, Harrington would come next, then some guy named Tiger. He was a pretty un-unlikely champion.)

3:07 p.m.: E-mail from Richard in Parts Unknown:

Sounds like the Ghost of Norman Past is definitely whispering in the Shark's ear.

Sure looks that way. He just hit the green on the par-3 fourth hole, but he's about 30 feet away.

3:03 p.m.: Yikes! The wheels have officially come off for Greg Norman, as he sits idly in engineer's seat on the bogey train.

For the third straight hole, Norman fails to get up and down, a bogey-bogey-bogey start and he's now one shot behind sole leader Padraig Harrington, who just made par from a greenside bunker.

2:57 p.m.: K.J. Choi makes bogey on the fourth hole and the leaders now have a little more separation between themselves and the others in the form of two strokes.

2:55 p.m.: Great stuff from the amateurs so far. Thomas Sherreard just finished eagle-birdie to close out at 14-over, but he's a long way from winning the silver medal, as Chris Wood just made a birdie on No. 7 to move to 8-over, very much in contention. It's like Justin Rose circa 1998 all over again.

2:52 p.m.: E-mail from Bryan in Virginia:

With Tiger out for the year, is a win by Norman today good for the PGA Tour?

It would be great for the game of golf. And so not so great for the PGA Tour.

Yes, they are two very different entities. While a win for Norman would draw more interest in the sport, keep people talking about it during Woods' absence, etc., he's no longer an active member of the PGA Tour (he does have lifetime membership) and likely won't be renewing that anytime soon. So whereas the PGA Tour got a big boost from having members like Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman win majors the past few years, it wouldn't get much from Norman. In fact, considering his long-standing feud with commissioner Tim Finchem, he may purposely resist competing in more PGA Tour events, even if they fit his schedule.

2:48 p.m.: Turns out it was more missable than makeable. Norman misses the par attempt for a bogey-bogey start, as Harrington makes his second par and we now have co-leaders. Norman and Harrington are at 4-over, with a 1-shot advantage over K.J. Choi (two over Simon Wakefield; three over Anthony Kim). Things are definitely bunching up.

2:44 p.m.: Norman chips to about 6 feet past the hole. Definitely makeable. Definitely missable.

2:40 p.m.: Norman hits his approach about 30 yards short and left. He'll need to get up and down to save par, but it's certainly possible from where he is.

2:37 p.m.: Greg Norman goes way left off the tee on No. 2. As one of my fellow golf writers just said, "Oh, don't let this be a repeat of David Duval!"

Or a repeat of, uh, Greg Norman.

2:35 p.m.: E-mail from Ben in New Orleans:

Do you know why Ben Curtis is wearing a Saints hat? I'm pretty sure he's not from New Orleans. Inquiring Saints fans want to know.

As discussed yesterday, Curtis has a deal with Reebok to wear the logo of the nearest NFL team in whatever city he is playing. Since the Saints and Chargers will play in London later this year, he has alternated days wearing each of the team's colors.

Curtis has started bogey-birdie-bogey so far today.

No truth to the rumor that if he wins, he'll have to forfeit the Claret Jug after receiving under-the-table payments from Reggie Bush.

2:33 p.m.: Norman hits his bunker shot to about 20 feet short of the hole, then burns the edge with his par putt. That's a bogey, though, and the lead is down to one.

2:30 p.m.: Padraig Harrington very nearly holes his chip for birdie on No. 1, taps in for par.

Sitting at a table with four other golf writers last night, I was the only one who didn't have Harrington as today's winner. No disrespect toward Norman -- everyone said they could definitely see him winning -- but the others liked Harrington and I liked some out-of-nowhere, back-of-the-pack guy.

2:26 p.m.: K.J. Choi and Simon Wakefield each make bogey on the first to drop three and four behind Norman, respectively.

Meanwhile, Norman just fanned his second shot to the right, looks like it caught the bunker. Sort of the same shot he hit into 18 yesterday.

2:22 p.m.: The final pairing is off, as Padraig Harrington is just off the fairway to the left and Greg Norman splits it, right down the pipe.

2:14 p.m.: As previously reported, there are four scores of below par already in the clubhouse. But ...

As Rob in Dallas e-mails:

Right now there isn't a player under par on the golf course. The best round going is Trevor Immelman at even-par through nine.

Definitely feels like it's getting a bit windier, so perhaps that's adversely affecting scoring conditions for the players still on the course.

2:11 p.m.: The penultimate pairing of Simon Wakefield and K.J. Choi has just teed off the opening hole, with Choi pushing his drive to the right. He doesn't have a great record in the final round at the Open. In five Sunday starts, he owns a scoring average of 72.4 and has only once broken par.

2:07 p.m.: E-mail from Svenni in Copenhagen, Denmark:

Quick note on the absence of Tiger: It really isn't that far off to assume he would be in the final pairing today if he was playing and how awesome would that be, having a final pairing in the Open consisting of the Shark and Tiger! Is there a better headline in golf, or any other sport for that matter? It's a shame we'll never see it; Norman is probably having his last great major. But then again, nobody thought he would be there this year so who knows? But the odds are heavily stacked against it.

I totally agree. I've heard from a lot of people this week who have said the Open is more exciting without Woods in the mix, but I still believe that the tournament would only be better if he were playing. Sure, Norman will draw lots of interest and big ratings, but if he were playing with Tiger? It'd be huge.

1:59 p.m.: Ernie Els is in the clubhouse with a 69, joining Robert Karlsson, Thomas Aiken and David Howell with under-par rounds so far today.

That total of four is more than Round 1 (three) and Round 3 (zero) combined.

1:45 p.m.: I've gotten about three dozen e-mails since last night that have read something like, "Dude! The Blog Jinx even works overseas! Right after you mentioned Michelle Wie yesterday, she was DQ'd for signing an incorrect scorecard!"

Based on that, and the fact that 700-something comments have been made on the Associated Press recap of the situation that's currently posted on ESPN.com, this is a pretty big topic right now, so let me throw in my two cents:

First of all, yes, golf has some extremely dumb rules. I've always felt that the "signing an incorrect scorecard" rule -- or walking away before signing it, in this case -- was the worst of all, especially on the professional level. There really needs to be some give-and-take with the Rules of Golf, rather than treating them as gospel. By the rules, Wie walked outside of the scoring area before signing her scorecard on Friday, which is an automatic disqualification. I get that much. But there should be room for interpretation here, too. It's not like she walked outside of the scoring area so that she could erase a "4" and put down a "3" instead. Golf needs to have some room for common sense in these situations.

Secondly, let's hold Wie accountable for her actions. She was at fault here; no matter how silly the rule may be, she should know it. Is it a shame that she was potentially on the way to locking up her LPGA card for next year, but is now still very much on the outside looking in? Absolutely. At least she can take heart in the fact that some of the "fans" who have been so tough on her over the years may now take pity on her and hope she continues to play well.

And lastly, obviously I wasn't there so it's tough for me to judge this, but it seems like the LPGA royally screwed this one up. The tour didn't know about the violation when it happened on Friday, and by the time officials learned about it on Saturday, Wie was already on the course. But instead of alerting her as to what happened, they let her finish out the round. Huh? This makes sense ... how? I don't get it.

That's all, just wanted to comment on the situation. Don't bother e-mailing me about it today; we're going to talk about the event at Birkdale instead. (If you want to comment, do it here.)

We now return you back to your regularly scheduled Open Championship ...

1:41 p.m.: I mentioned that scoring conditions are easier today. How much easier? Take a look at this week's scoring averages, by round:

• Round 1: 75.98
• Round 2: 73.78
• Round 3: 75.76
• Round 4: 73.57

Pretty good sampling from today already, too, as 29 players have finished their rounds.

1:35 p.m.: Don't think the players from 5-7 strokes back have a chance to contend? Don't say that to Robert Allenby, who just moved from 8-over to 7-over with a birdie on the fierce first hole.

1:31 p.m.: After yesterday's round of 83, David Duval was still contending that he hit the ball very well and just didn't score, which sounds very much like what he's been saying after every round for a few years now. Even so, I would have set the over/under for his final-round score at about 79 prior to the round.

Well, hope you took the under. Duval just finished up his tournament with a 1-over 71. If he could have scored well in Round 3, it would have been a big result for him. As it is, perhaps this is the beginning of his return to relevance.

1:24 p.m.: Just in case my earlier comments did put the Blog Jinx on Greg Norman, let's try to reverse the curse by discussing his past foibles in final rounds at major championships, including each of the following:

• He led all four majors entering the final round in 1986 (won only the Open Championship).
• Held a 6-shot lead entering the final round of the 1996 Masters; lost by 5 shots.
• This is the eighth time he's taken a lead into the final round; he's won once ('86 Open).
• He is one of two players to lose in playoff at all four majors (along with Craig Wood).

And how about this one: Norman has either led or been within five strokes of the lead on 25 different occasions entering the final round of a major. He's won only twice.

1:20 p.m.: First e-mail of the day from James in Strathaven, Scotland:

How spoiled are pro golfers today? A bit of a breeze and they moan and complain as if their dog had just been hit by a car. Golf is supposed to be difficult, and tests your mental strength, this is the way is supposed to be played, so at least try and earn the huge amount of money that's on offer!!!

Though we did hear some complaining earlier in the week (yes, Pat Perez, I'm talking about you), I'm not sure anyone was whining about yesterday's conditions, which were the worst so far. Were they stating the obvious about how brutal it was? Yes. Did they discuss how difficult it was to commit to a shot with the wind blowing so much? Yes. But don't misconstrue it as moaning and complaining.

1:12 p.m.: Speaking of Jack Nicklaus, there was some discussion amongst us hacks at the hotel pub last night about whether a victory from Greg Norman today would be bigger than Jack's win at the 1986 Masters.

Some said yes. I'm in the Hell No camp. Not even close.

Sure, Norman is seven years older than Nicklaus was at the time and much less competitive, but the Golden Bear came from behind with a back-nine 30 to earn his 18th major, as opposed to Norman parlaying a third-round lead into his third major win.

Along the same lines, I received an e-mail from my editor in Bristol last night asking where a Norman win would rank among the greatest victories in major history. That's a really tough one. Gotta see how it unfolds today, but they've been playing these things since 1860; that's a lot of history. Let's not forget Frances Ouimet at Brookline, Ben Hogan after the accident and Tiger Woods just last month with a torn ACL.

Where do you think it ranks? Let me know and I'll post a few responses in a little while.

(Of course, just mentioning this probably puts the Blog Jinx on Norman to the tune of an 83 or so. Uh, sorry about that.)

1:09 p.m.: Some leftover notes from ESPN's research department. about Norman, if he should win today:

• He would be the oldest to win a major championship (53 years, 160 days old).
• He would earn a five-year exception to the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
• He would become the third player since 1900 to win the same major in three different decades (1986, 1993, 2008).

The others? No one you've ever heard of. Just a couple of guys named Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

1:04 p.m.: As Michael Stipe once sang ... should we talk about the weather?

Yes, we should. The good news: It's not as windy as yesterday, when the wind blew consistently at 38 mph and gusted to 48 mph. The bad news: It's still pretty damn windy. We're supposed to have gusts of 25-30 mph today and it should be continuing throughout the afternoon.

That said, it's not playing nearly as difficult as yesterday, when no one in the field broke par. Already today, we've seen a 67 from David Howell (who missed a 3-footer on 18) and a 68 from Thomas Aiken, so there are scores to be had. That gives more hope to the guys who are 5-7 shots in back of Norman entering the round.

1:00 p.m.: Hello from Royal Birkdale, where the Open Championship has officially become the Shark Shootout, as Greg Norman takes a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Not sure why nobody is mentioning this, but Norman is 53 years old and doesn't play much golf anymore. Bet you didn't know that, huh? Well, that's the kind of inside knowledge I'll be imparting throughout what could be a truly historical day here in Southport.

We'll get to plenty of Norman facts, stats, tidbits and analysis over the next 6-7 hours (he tees off in the final pairing with Padraig Harrington at 2:20 local time), but for now the question on everybody's mind is ... Can he really win this thing?

The answer: Yes. He really can. One more round like the first three and he'll have a third Claret Jug by the end of the day.

My prediction: No. I don't know why, but this just has the feel of a final round that produces some out-of-nowhere winner. It happens more often than you'd think. At the 2003 Open, nobody was talking about Ben Curtis entering Sunday's round -- he won. At the 2005 U.S. Open, nobody was talking about Michael Campbell entering Sunday's round -- he won. At the 2007 Open, nobody was talking about Padraig Harrington entering Sunday's round -- he won.

My pick? Well, I said Curtis during our On The Tee podcast yesterday, but really, he was just representative of so many of the 19 players within seven shots of the lead that no one was talking about coming into today. Could be Ross Fisher. Could be Ian Poulter. Could be Graeme Storm.

Heck, it could be amateur Chris Wood, which could actually be as good a story as if Norman won.

And, of course, it could be Norman. We'll know soon enough. For now, hang here in the Live Blog, hit me with plenty of e-mails and keep clicking that refresh button. Let's get going ...

Jason Sobel covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at britishopenblog@gmail.com.