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My Tips who made the cut were: Steve Stricker e.w. at 80-1, Jim Furyk e.w. at 25/1

2030: Greg Norman's press tent interview is absolutely packed out and he skillfully bats away questions about what it would be like to win this championship again. "Ask me tomorrow," he says with a smile. "I've obviously got a chance," is about the best we get out of him and he reveals that despite his age he's not at all physically tired. He describes today's windy conditions as "brutal" so must be delighted with himself that he shot a 72. Okay, that's about it from here. I'm off to back Chris Evert to win next year's Wimbledon.

1950: Just dashed out to see Greg Norman and KJ Choi finish off at the last and there's a great buzz as the veteran Aussie almost chips in. He taps in for par and, amazingly, Norman leads the Open by two shots at the end of round three. So should we by cynical and say that he couldn't even convert 54 holes when in his pomp so how can he do it now when he hardly ever plays. I'd still be amazed if he's holding the Claret Jug on Sunday night but you never know. The bookies make Harrington favourite, with most layers making Norman second best ahead of Choi in third. Beyond those three you can get at least 20/1 about anyone else.

1920: Whilst in the Harrington press conference, Jim Furyk bogeyed the last. That's a shocking inward half of 43 and from being tied for the lead after nine holes today he's now down to tied 15th alongside fellow tip Steve Stricker. Hopes are fading of even an each-way payout.

1915: Padraig Harrington comes in for interview and reveals that he's happy with his score, especially as it was some of the toughest conditions to putt in he'd ever experienced because of the wind. He also says that he never looked at a leaderboard all day. It's not unusual for golfers to say that but I always find it staggering that you wouldn't want to know where you lay in relation to the field. Harrington wants high winds again tomorrow as he reckons it would give him his best chance of winning. His wrist injury, which he describes as "fine, no problems today" may actually have helped him this week because by stopping him from playing the practice rounds it's kept him fresh - a big benefit in such mentally-sapping conditions. He does admit though that there will be more pressure on him this year as he's likely to go out in the last or penultimate group. Twelve months ago, when he won, he came from off the pace so the focus wasn't on him as much.

1852: Pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia finished at +9 after a 74 earlier today and you get the impression it's not going to be his week. Asked if he still had a chance, the Spaniard replied: "We'll see. I felt like I needed no more than two over to have a chance. I could've done that but things didn't happen. I'm really disappointed." Ian Poulter is one shot better off and he said: "I'm not out of it by any means but I'm not too happy. I bogeyed the two par fives (15 and 17) coming in when you need to pick up shots." But, says Poulter, "I've got 18 holes of good golf left in me."

1846: A new clubhouse leader... defending champ Padraig Harrington, who signs for a 72 and a three-round total of +4. What a shame though that playing partner David Duval crossed back over to the dark side and played himself out of the tournament with a 13-over-par 83.

1845: Steve Stricker-watch: Now 15th.

1825: All golfers have comfort zones and I think there are strong historical grounds for saying that Greg Norman's ends at 54 holes. He was the third round leader in all four majors in 1986 but only won one of them - the Open. And who can forget when he led the US Masters in 1996 by six shots after 54 holes before collapsing in the final round and finishing five behind Nick Faldo. Add in the fatigue factor for a man in his 50s and, despite the fact that he's currently tied for the lead after a birdie at 14, I still expect him to fall away tomorrow. I'm happy to be proved wrong though as it would make a fantastic story if he won the Open 22 years on from his first win in the tournament.

1817: Given his famous relative, how about "Bob's Yer Uncle" if Simon Wakefield ends up winning!

1814: Steve Stricker-watch: Now tied for 16th.

1813: Gutted that Jim Furyk has played his last five holes in six over but I'm not giving hope yet even though Choi has just birdied the 13th to take the outright lead at three over.

1805: Simon Wakefield has just completed his press conference and Harry sums it up by saying "seems like a nice chap". So what do we learn about him? Well, he's just bought a Stoke City season-ticket following their promotion to the Premier League although he also used to watch Port Vale and Crewe as a youngster. He'd never played Birkdale before this week although he came to watch Ian Baker-Finch win here in 1991 and also followed Justin Rose round in 1998 as they were good buddies from their amateur days. Stoke is famous for its pottery he tells the American journalists and reveals that he only really got into golf after watching Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo win the 1988 and 1989 US Masters. Uncle Bob Taylor - his mum's brother - texts him every so often but he doesn't get to see much of him and asked how it sounds that he could be Open champion in 25 hours' time he thinks and says "bizarre". He'll spend this evening having a meal with family and friends and try not to think about the amazing situation he finds himself in. Easier said than done of course, especially as he's never even won a European Tour event.

1800: A double blow. Furyk double bogeys to slide all the way to +8 while my computer's just crashed and I've lost a big write-up about Simon Wakefield's press conference. I'll try again.

1732: Steve Stricker-watch: Still tied 18th but with Choi and Norman double bogeying the 10th, he's just five shots off the lead.

1730: Ben Curtis' prediction two-and-a-half hours ago that he'd be in the top five or 10 by the end of the day is looking spot on. He's currently tied seventh.

1722: A new clubhouse target is set by the unlikely figure of Simon Wakefield. The 34-year-old Englishman from Newcastle-under-Lyme was tied 33rd at Loch Lomond last week but before that he'd missed three straight cuts. As for his Open record - three appearances, two missed cuts and a best tied 48th at Hoylake two years ago. One more Wakefield fact. His uncle is former England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor.

1705: Furyk has to wait an eternity on the 10th tee and it seems to disrupt his rhythm. He double bogeys and is back to +4, two shots off the lead. Harrington bogeys 11 so that leaves Norman and Choi tied at the top on +2.

1655: Anthony Kim is a name worth getting used to as the 23-year-old American-Korean is proving that he's the absolute real deal. He's won twice already this year, including his last start at Congressional, and is making a superb Open debut. I picked him up on 17 and saw him hit a superb long approch to the par five and drain a ten-foot putt for eagle - just the fifth there all week. I follow Kim up 18 and see him two-putt for par and an excellent round of 71. It leaves him currently in a tie for 11th. I cheekily run across the practice putting green and am just in time to catch him being interviewed. Earlier this week Kim expressed his bafflement at links golf but after talking to former Open champ Todd Hamilton he realised he just had to get his head down and get on with it. You could say he's a fast learner. From sounding bemused, Kim reveals that he's "having a blast". Twelve months ago when hampered by immaturity he said the tough conditions this week would have "blown my mind" so he's glad he didn't make it into the 2007 Open. He also talks us through the 45-minute hold-up he had on 10 after the wind blew his ball off the green. Again, last year he might have got in a strop but the more mature Kim dealt with the problem and played flawless golf on the back nine, carding eight pars and an eagle. Playing partner Ross Fisher is very much in this tournament too after three birdies in his final eight holes left him alongside Kim at +7. I had my transistor radio on whilst following Kim so I get to hear that Jim Furyk has made back-to-back birdies on eight and nine to tie for the lead. Excellent stuff. Potentially I could have been tetchy after the ice-cream man tells me he was out of Magnums but I brush it aside. No worries, I'll have a Feast.

1545: Time to go outside and have a wander around the course.

1536: The weather forecast sheet I've just picked up doesn't show any sign of the winds dying down so the players will just have to grin and bear it.

1535: Padraig Harrington birdies the seventh and he's now the new favourite on Betfair at 7/2.

1528: Steve Stricker-watch: Now tied 19th. Blow wind blow!

1520: Steve Stricker-watch: Now tied 22nd.

1514: Davis Love on Kenny Perry not turning up this week: "I've got myself in trouble over the years chastising players. If you don't want to come don't come. Kenny Perry is a great friend of mine, a great guy and a great Christian." Come again?!

1507: Solid, solid, solid stuff from Jim Furyk. He's started with three successive pars. Back in 1998 when it blew a gale he gritted it out with a 72 - one of the best rounds of the day - so he has the pedigree in conditions like this.

1502: Steve Stricker-watch: Now tied 24th.

1500: Not exactly packed in the Ben Curtis press conference - 25 journos, a police search unit team and an alsatian. The 2003 Open champ reckons par is mid-to-high 70s today and his score of +7 will probably put him in the top five or 10 by the end of play. Let's hope so as then that would start to bring Steve Stricker into the mix.

1450: Ben Curtis is the third player to manage a 70 and he's now the clubhouse leader at +7. He's just come in to be interviewed so back in a bit.

1445: Steve Stricker-watch update. In the time it's taken me to "drop off the children" he's risen two more places to 29th.

1435: I'm going to start up a Steve Stricker-watch to see how far his position improves. He's up from tied 33rd to tied 31st.

1432: I should know better and the horse has bolted and all that but I've had to have a bet on KJ Choi at 6/1 as it would be too much pain to see him win.

1430: The wind appears to be getting stronger and stronger and bogeys are going up all over the place in the scoreboard in front of me. Jim Furyk, however, almost birdies the first after a great approach but tapping in for par on a day like this is always good. He remains in a tie for fourth.

1425: The caption on the BBC says David Duval has had a "rocky" US Tour season to date, making just one cut from 11 appearances, a tied 60th at St Jude. I can think of some better adjectives to be honest, "disastrous" perhaps, and that describes the wild shot he's just hit on the second.

1420: A pat on the back for 80/1 tip Steve Stricker. He's finished with a 71 today and although he's still back at +9 he's improved to tied 33rd and it could get better as the day goes on. Maybe I'm kidding myself, but is there just a slight chance that he could get into the top five and give us an each-way payout?

1417: I was really hoping David Duval would keep up his challenge in round three but he's started with a diastrous triple bogey seven to slide down to +5. And, walking to the first tee, Greg Norman is blowing his nose and appears to have a cold. It doesn't bode well for the two surprise names at the top of the leaderboard.

1415: The first 80 of the day is shot by American Sean O'Hair. But despite the gusts getting heavier it still isn't approaching Saturday 1998 levels when 23 of the 81 players failed to break 80. On that day Phil Mickelson shot 85 and then defending champ Justin Leonard an 82.

1335: The press tent is going to blow away if we're not careful. Thankfully there's no big spotlights dangling directly over my head.

1330: Justin Rose made his name here as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998 but 10 years on the magic seems to have deserted him. He's seven over for his round today after just seven holes and that puts him out of it on 14 over.

1310: The Saturday of the 1998 Open at Birkdale is remembered for the howling winds and on that day not a single player broke par. In fact the only two men to manage 70 were Costantino Rocca and Katsuyoshi Tomori who moved up from tied 65th to tied 10th by shooting par. It isn't quite that bad this time and, in fact, we've already seen two rounds of 70 - from Henrik Stenson and Davis Love, who have finished at +8 and +9 respectively.

1300: If you like watching people fall over on golf courses - and let's be honest who doesn't - head to the big mound to the left of the 12th green. Harry has seen a succession of spectators take a tumble there, the best being a chap in flash white trousers who drew raucous laughter after having his pride and joys soiled.

1250: Paul Artman writes: "Two of my bets which you posted on the blog are Choi and Villegas, I backed them both e/w at 100/1. I also have Soren Hansen who's 11th and Stuart Appleby who's 16th so I'm pretty well placed although I know full well the weather could still play havoc and create a "Paul Lawrie" winner. Just had a quick look at the world golf rankings, regardless of what Choi eventually does on Sunday. How is it that a player ranked 11th in the world can go off at 100/1, yes that's four times your boy Furyk's price and he's ranked 12th in the world! Its all about value as I'm sure you know!!!" Don't rub it in Paul! If you read last night's blog entry I came ridiculously close to tipping Choi at 100s and actually scribbled his name out and replaced him with Steve Stricker at the 11th hour - yes the same Steve Stricker who's just bogeyed the 12th to go back to 10 over par.

1240: Ernie Els went round in 74 today but didn't feel the conditions were overly difficult despite the blustery winds. "They moved tees up so they've made it playable. If you play proper golf you can shoot even par." Ernie also reckons that anyone who can finish four, five, or six over will still have a chance to win. As for his own game: "It's been a frustrating week on the greens. There's been a lot of missed opportunities. I'm going to see Butch Harmon for two days in Vegas and work on the short game and get it sharp. I'm going back to basics. I've tried different putters and different methods. There's a method that worked for me in the past and I'll go back to that." I'm afraid it's been a similar story for him in recent times. He always seems to be searching for something to play well again but all the chopping and changing is actually proving counter-productive.

1200: It's been a good week for Open winners - Norman, Duval, Harrington and now Ben Curtis. The shock winner from 2003 cashes in on his fluke eagle at three with birdies at five and seven and he's now +4 and tied 16th. If he could par in, who knows where he could end the day.

1135: These fierce winds are causing all manner of distorted facial expressions. Monty, to borrow a phrase from Stephen Fry, looks as if he's been savagely rammed by someone who's dropped glass in the vaseline. While I'm on the subject of Stephen Fry, I love the way that everyone's favourite English intellecutal likes things you don't expect him to and that extends to golf. I laughed out loud when I read the following in his book 'Moab Is My Washpot' as it seemed such an unlikely point of reference. Describing a boy from Cape Town, who joins his school, Fry says: "He had out-turned lips that were most luscious then, but are today probably of that strangely opened out, overmoist quality as common to ex-colonials of the southern hemisphere as sandy eyelashes and wide hips. I expect now he looks like Ernie Els or Kerry Packer. Shame." Fry also reveals in the book that he loves watching all four majors. It's a great image isn't it, Stephen Fry turning down an invite to an exclusive party because he's sat at home watching the second round of the USPGA. He'd be one of my favourite dinner guests I think although maybe I should just hire him because Popbitch revealed this week that "Fry commands less to turn up and speak than you have to pay to get Kid Kreole and the Coconuts or Vernon Kay. But he does cost more than Paul Ross."

1125: Paul Casey seems to have some sort of hybrid headgear. A standard golf hat with a woolly one on top to keep it in place. Wise move. Avoids what I term "hat panic" - the fear of one's baseball hat blowing off on a windy day when you've got really bad unbrushed hair underneath.

1120: Silly hat of the day so far belongs to Henrik Stenson. He looks like Dr Seuss.

1115: When discussing the golf last night we said it was unusual that we've not seen anyone hole out for eagle with a long approach shot yet this week. Well, we have now. 2003 Open champ Ben Curtis has just holed his iron at the 451-yard par three third for an eagle two and he's suddenly up to tied 22nd. Curtis touches knuckles with playing partner Phil Mickelson.

1110: Poor old Lee Westwood. Hugely confident coming into this Open but now in last place after playing his first 14 holes in eight over today to collapse to 17 over.

1100: Don't forget, you can write a comment in the bottom of this page or contact me with your Open thoughts at daveattheopen@hotmail.co.uk. And be as honest as you like.

1045: I was a little bit late getting the blog under way today due to a late night at the GolfPunk party in Southport. I write a betting column in the magazine and had met editor Shaun McGuckian for the first time in person in the press tent earlier in the day - he looked wrecked having played host the previous two nights. Our three-strong party consisted of myself, Harry The Hat and Harry's friend Richie and to be honest what a bizarre, sorry and unlikely trio we made. Richie, fresh from watching the action all day, looked as if he was off to play golf, I (in Gola trainers and Teenage Fanclub t-shirt) appeared to be heading for a students union bar while Harry (greased back hair, open shirt) looked as if he was off salsa dancing. Still, it was a case of anything goes in the bar which GolfPunk had hired out and I felt quite at home when Sean's brother's band, "Bedroom Revolution", were playing Oasis covers when we walked in. The highlight, though, was that three golfers were there too. Now, before I reveal their names and you go and lay them in their three-balls, all three had missed the cut and were having a consolatory drink. Of course, the first was Pelle Edberg, my next door neighbour at the Premier Inn, whom I seem to be following around; the second was Simon Dyson (pointy shoes, confident mover on the dancefloor); and the third and, best of all, was American Jeff Quinney, who looked like a frat boy and was arguably dressed worse than me. But what a thoroughly approachable and nice bloke. With my betting head still very much on, once I'd got past the "hellos" I cracked straight into asking what tournaments it would be best to back him in. "West Coast" he replied without hesitation although he thought he might do well in this year's USPGA at Oakland Hills. There, your cards are marked. I actually tipped Jeff at 100/1 to win at Riviera earlier this year and he was leading in the final round before being pipped by Phil Mickelson. Naturally, I had to tell him this and he couldn't believe his odds of 100/1. Even though he just missed out I still got a 25/1 each-way payout and we came perilously close to high-fiving each other with an accompanying "nice jaaab". And, by the way, as Pelle missed the cut there might be a free room going in the Premier Inn for the next two nights.

1020: 45mph winds were the extreme end of the prediction for Saturday but that's now been raised to 48. From now until 2pm the wind is forecast to rise from 35mph to 45mph and it's predicted to gust at 45-48mph from 2pm to 6pm. But it doesn't end there as there's rain too - mostly of the scattered blustery variety although we might get some squally ones too between now and 2pm. To combat this and to avoid an ear-bashing from the players, the R&A has decided to move the tees forward at holes 6, 11 and 16. Colleague Harry The Hat reckons 76 might be par today so I've just gone to check the IBM computers at the back of the press tent. Here's the average scores so far and, what the heck, I'm going to give them to three decimal places: Round 1: 75.976, Round 2: 73.777. Round 3: (based on the scores so far) 75.412.

1000: The predicted strong winds have very much arrived at Royal Birkdale and the press tent roof is clattering around noisily above me. And it's no surprise to see that the players are struggling. The cut fell at +9 last night, meaning 83 players got through to the weekend and none of those out on the course so far are under par for their rounds. Ernie Els, who scraped in, is really going backwards and has played his first nine in four over to slip to +13. That leaves him in 79th place. Two players making a decent fist of it are Andres Romero and Davis Love, who have played their front nines in level par to stay at +9. If it gets even worse this afternoon, I just wonder where +9 might end up... five shots off the lead maybe?