Four top crowded leaderboard

David Duval fired a six-under-par 65 early on Saturday then waited as the lead came back to him in an eventful third round of the 130th British Open Championship.

The 29-year-old Duval, part of a four-way tie at six-under-par 207, will play in the final pairing of the Open championship for the second straight year.

"I got myself back into it today and that's where I want to be," said Duval, a 12-time PGA Tour winner in search of his first major title. "I want to take that trophy home tomorrow."

Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam, veteran players with three Masters titles between them, each shot 67 for a share of the lead, while European Tour journeyman Alex Cejka rounded out the quartet with a two-under 69 that could have been much better.

Overnight leader Colin Montgomerie tumbled from the top with a two-over 73 that featured a three-putt for double-bogey at the 13th. The Scot finished in a nine-man logjam at five-under par with the likes of Nick Price, Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik.

A total of 19 players will head into the final round within three shots of the leaders.

Tiger Woods, the defending champion who blew away the field at St. Andrews last year, couldn't keep his ball in play Saturday. He took an unplayable lie at one hole and a penalty drop at another en route to a 73 and a share of 28th place at minus-one.

"Hopefully, tomorrow I can post a good number and see what happens," Woods told tournament officials.

The World No. 1 declined to speak to the media, instead opting to use the time to work out the kinks on the practice range.

Duval, even par to start the day, got out in the same benign playing conditions that have been the norm for most of the week at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He took advantage of the conditions, as well as the course's relatively tame start, by birdieing the second and the seventh holes before rolling in a 10-footer at eight to go out in three-under 32.

After adding a pair of birdies immediately after the turn, Duval knocked his approach at the 13th to 18 inches for birdie. He rolled in a five-foot putt at 14 for his seventh birdie of the day, tying him for the lead with Montgomerie at seven-under.

Duval quickly gave the stroke back after driving into the rough at the difficult 15th for his lone bogey, then made a sensational up-and-down from a tough lie to save par at the 17th.

Duval came up a foot short on his long birdie attempt at the 18th, leaving him one shot shy of matching the course record of 64 set by 1996 champion Tom Lehman. His tap-in par allowed him to equal the low round of this year's championship, a mark established by Montgomerie in the opening round and matched by Ireland's Des Smyth on Friday.

Sunday could be a career-defining moment for Duval, who had come close to reeling in his breakthrough major at the last four Masters. He finished second at Augusta this season and in 1998 despite closing with 67s both years. In 1999 he tied for sixth, and the following year surrendered the halfway lead with a third-round 74 and wound up in third place.

Duval also gave Woods a scare when he pulled within three at last year's British Open before taking a quadruple-bogey eight at the Road Hole. He posted a 75 and finished in 11th place, 12 shots behind Woods.

"I know I have it in me," Duval said. "I think I have proven it. There have been a few times I have played poorly but most of the times I think I have played well."

Duval's was just one of number of stories in round three.

Langer, who garnered green jackets in 1985 and '93, has overcome bouts with the putting "yips" in recent years. This season he has five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour -- the most since he notched seven in 1987 -- including third place at The Players Championship and a tie sixth at the Masters.

The 43-year-old German collected six birdies through 14 holes to become one of eight different players to hold the lead on Saturday. Trying to play it safe with an iron off the tee at the last, Langer found one of Royal Lytham's 197 bunkers and walked off with just his second bogey of the day.

Woosnam, the diminutive Welshman who won the Masters in 1991, scored an eagle at the par-five 11th and birdied two of the last four holes. Germany's Cejka exploded for six birdies over a seven-hole stretch from the fifth only to drop consecutive shots at 15, 16 and 17.

Although Cejka's birdie run made him a surprising two-shot leader at nine- under par, he seemed to feel the pressure toward the end. After a perfect drive at the 16th, he chunked his approach like a weekend hacker and needed three more strokes to get down for a bogey.

Montgomerie, in the same boat as Duval as a very successful player who has come up short in majors, believes it may take another 65 to break out of the pack.

"If I do that tomorrow, I have every chance of winning," he said.

Monty never had a chance at that number Saturday, as he missed short par saves at the fourth and eighth holes to fall to five-under. Back-to-birdies at 10 and 11 lifted him back to where he started, but he drew a terrible lie in a fairway bunker at the 13th, came up short of the green on his approach, then three-putted from just off the putting surface for a double-bogey six.

He parred the five remaining holes, including the last after missing a birdie try from 10 feet.

"It's anybody's Open," said Montgomerie, who at one back is in his best position ever entering a final round at the British Open.

Parnevik, who double-bogeyed the eighth to drop to two-over on the day, birdied four in a row, culminating with a tap-in after almost recording an ace at the par-three 12th.

He was bold when he tried to drive the green at 16, and the gamble nearly paid off. But a three-putt from around 80 feet left him with a par, which was good enough for sole possession of the lead at seven-under when England's Greg Owen, Parnevik's playing partner, failed to sink a six-footer to save par at the same hole.

However, Parnevik landed in the right rough at 17 and used two whacks with a sand wedge just to reach the fairway. He hit his fourth to 25 feet and two- putted for a second double-bogey that took him from one shot up to one shot down.

Also with Parnevik at 208 was the eclectic mix of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Billy Mayfair, Raphael Jacquelin, Joe Ogilvie and Pierre Fulke.

Owen became a contender when he holed out his second shot from 240 yards for a

double-eagle at the par-five 11th, the second "albatross" of the championship.

In Thursday's opening round, Jeff Maggert knocked a 200-yard six-iron shot into the cup at the par-five sixth.

Owen, almost floating on air as he held steady with pars at the next four holes, came crashing back to earth with a trio of bogeys that saw him finish with a 72, tied for 14th alongside Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Billy Andrade, Smyth and U.S. Open champ Retief Goosen.

Woods looked to be headed for a low number after a 30-foot birdie at the opening hole and an 18-footer to get within two of the lead at five-under.

While he'd been able to dodge poor drives -- mostly to the right -- over the first two rounds, Woods' luck ran out at the par-five seventh, where his lie in the rough caused him to shank his second shot into the trees.

Forced to take an unplayable lie, Woods hit his fourth shot from the same spot as his second, leaving him with a 60 pitch to the green. He hit to eight feet and two-putted for a double-bogey.

Woods slipped to one-over on the day when he missed a short par putt at the 14th. He did well to save par after another bad drive at 16, but wasn't as fortunate at 18. His terrible tee shot was at least 50 yards right near the hospitality tents, and one penalty drop and three shots later he was in with a final bogey.

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