British Open Notebook Parry shoots 67 for top round so far at Carnoustie Click here for more on this story Posted: Saturday July 17, 1999 02:29 PM   Parry: "I'm only 5-foot-6 but I felt about 6-foot tall out there the way I was playing." AP CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Australia's Craig Parry may not win the British Open, but his 4-under 67 Saturday may stand as the best round in the bramble at Carnoustie. Parry made the turn in 3-under 33, birdied six holes and put himself in the chase at 5-over after three rounds. A top 10 finisher three times on the U.S. Tour this season and the man who led the 1992 Masters only to tie for 13th, the 5-foot-6 (1.68m) Aussie -- nicknamed "Popeye" because of his immensely strong arms -- believes he has a big chance to lift the Old Claret Jug on Sunday. "If I go out with the confidence I have got now, I can go out and win it," Parry said after his third-round score gave him a 5-over 218. "I have three top-10 finishes in the States and any time you're in the top 10 your not far from winning," he said. "This has got to be one of the best rounds I have ever played. I'm only 5-foot-6 [1.68 meters] but I felt about 6-foot (1.82 meters) tall out there the way I was playing." Parry played the first two rounds in the company of Tiger Woods and Ian Woosnam, both former Masters champions. "They played so well they probably dragged me to their level." Home sweet home It's home sweet home for Sergio Garcia. The Spanish golf prodigy, humiliated with rounds of 89-83 to miss the cut in the British Open and finish dead-last in a field of 156, is calling a press conference on Monday in his Mediterranean home in Castellon. The 19-year old, who won the Irish Open last month in only his sixth professional event, was overwhelmed by the wind and knee-high weeds at Carnoustie and lashed out at the difficult course condition. "This was impossible to enjoy," he said. Was it his worst experience in golf? "Probably so. It wasn't a good experience. ... I can't remember when I last shot an 89." In Spain, where golf is a minority sport and still considered a toy of the rich, Garcia's emergence as one of the game's next stars still receives light coverage. Madrid daily El Mundo ran a headline Saturday questioning Garcia's future: "Is El Nino in danger?" The paper reported on his rough time in Scotland and speculated on his chance of bouncing back. The sports daily Marca dealt with the wider Spanish story as two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, three-time British Open champion Seve Ballesteros, and Garcia all failed to make the cut. "Sergio takes the blow with style," said Marca's headline. Weather Weather for Sunday's final day will be mostly sunny with a risk of light showers. But the wind are going to shift after three days of coming from the west and southwest. They're expected to be out of the south and southeast at about 10-15 mph (15-25 kph). Winds on Saturday gusted up to 30 mph (50 kph) from the southwest. Odds and ends "I'm glad it's over. It was an endurance test over the last two days," said Davis Love. "I'm the same person I was a few days ago. My wife is still going to yell at me," said Jean Van de Velde, the leader after two rounds. The 20-year-old woman who raced onto the 18th green Thursday in a black bra and panties and planted a kiss on Tiger Woods' cheek, was arrested and held overnight. She works as a dancer in a bar in Aberdeen and immediately asked 10,000 pounds ($16,000) for topless photographs. Van d Velde was a harsh critic two years ago of European Ryder Cup captain Ballesteros when he bumped injured Miguel Angel Martin from the squad and replaced him with Jose Maria Olazabal. "He had his say and I had mine," said Van de Velde, a journeyman who was protecting the interests of another journeyman. Zany Jesper Parnevik said he was distracted last week in a tournament at Loch Lomond, puzzling over this question: The circumference around the earth is about 26,000 miles. What would it be if a rope were stretched around it, but elevated three feet above the surface. He said he was sent several books to help solve the question. "The funny thing was that one of books actually had the problem but got the answer wrong." Zane Scotland celebrated his 17th birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately, the young English amateur missed the cut (82-81-163). ... Asked if he'd ever played in such difficult conditions, Ernie Els snapped, "I'm getting tired of that question."   Related information Stories Parry fires way into contention with tournament-low 67 British Notes: Montgomerie shoots 76, says he's out Van de Velde making pars, continues to lead; Parry shoots 67 Payne Stewart slams British Open organizers Duval says he likes Carnoustie despite being 17 over Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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