Tom Watson Slips Early at British Open, Ross Fisher Makes Move

Englishman Ross Fisher has a lot on his mind this morning. His wife is expecting their first child back in Surrey, England, and Fisher has vowed that as soon as she goes into labor, he's walking oft the course to be by her side. In the meantime, he began the final round at the British Open in second place, one shot behind 59-year-old Tom Watson, a five-time Open Champion.

Watson has been the story of the week, even with Tiger Woods missing the cut. As players half his age succumb to the course and the elements, Watson trudges along, improbable birdie putt and improbable birdie putt. But three holes into his final round, Watson suddenly looks his age. He bogeyed the par-4, 1st after his second shot found the sand, and carded another five on No. 3.

UPDATE (10:25 AM ET): So much for that. After bogeying No. 3, Fisher scribbled a snowman on his scorecard at the par-5, 4th hole. He's now even par for the week, good for 7th place. And Watson, at 2-under, is back atop the leaderboard with Chris Wood. For the time being, anyway.

Both times, he failed to convert short putts, which is fitting in the sense that his putter has been his nemesis during the late stages of his career. "Both of those strokes [on the failed par putts] were almost a hesitation on the backstroke," Jack Nicklaus told ABC's Mike Tirico during the telecast. "I'm rooting like the devil for the old guy. He's a great friend and I'd love to just see him play great."

While Watson tries to hold it together, Fisher is making his move. He birdied his first two holes -- including a chip-in on No. 2 that probably saved a bogey -- and got to 5-under before bogeying No. 4.

As it stands, Fisher is two shots clear of a foursome at 2-under (Chris Wood, Lee Westwood, Mathew Goggin and Watson). There's a lot of golf to go, but given his quick start, Fisher's biggest obstacle to the Claret Jug could be entirely out of his hands.