ESPN.com - Golf Online - British Open 2000

By Bob Harig
Special to ESPN Golf Online
Saturday, July 22

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- David Duval's tee shot at the home hole appeared headed toward one of the 400-plus-year-old buildings that frames the 18th at the Old Course.

It straightened out slightly, hitting precariously close to the edge of the fairway, where a right-hand bounce could have sent it scurrying out of bounds.

Instead, the ball landed softly, kicked slightly to the left, and kept Duval in the tournament. He ended up with a birdie at the hole to put himself in the final pairing Sunday with Tiger Woods at the British Open.

"You need to have what happened to me on 18 today," Duval said. "I just turned a 6 into a 3. My ball was awful close to going out of bounds and I made birdie. That's what you need.

"If it goes out of bounds, I'm back at (7-under) and I'm out of the golf tournament probably. All of a sudden I have a chance to play in the final group now. That's a lot of what you need."

Duval finished with a 66 that left him six strokes behind Woods with at least a hope of winning his first major championship.

Woods also birdied the 18th after a three-putt bogey at No. 17, just his second of the tournament. That helped him stretch the lead back to six shots.

For the finishing hole of a major championship venue, the 18th is not putting up much of a fight.

On Saturday, only one player missed the fairway and all 73 in the field hit the green in regulation. The hole was the second easiest, yielding 26 birdies, 47 pars and no bogeys.