Don't count me out Parry fires way into contention with tournament-low 67 Click here for more on this story Posted: Saturday July 17, 1999 03:30 PM   Parry: "This time I just want to relax and play my game." AP CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Craig Parry, the little man with powerful arms and bundles of confidence, won a victory over the Beast of Carnoustie on Saturday and put himself in contention for the British Open title. The 5-foot-6 Aussie, known on the tour as "Popeye" because of his small height but muscular arms, won his battle with the toughest Open course on record with a 4-under 67 to place second on the leaderboard behind Frenchman Jean Van de Velde. The Beast gets a rematch in Sunday's final round. Parry picked up four strokes on the leaders with a six-birdie round on a course which has been variously described as "brutal", "vicious" and "unfair." The long, thick rough, allied to deep pot bunkers, fairways as narrow as 11 yards and a stiff wind, has led to scores as high as 91 and many big names -- such as defending titlist Mark O'Meara, five time titlist Tom Watson, three-time champion Nick Faldo and new wonder-kid Sergio Garcia -- missed the cut. Starting out in conditions which had been softened by overnight rain, Parry birdied the third, fourth, sixth and 10th holes and was four under for the day. Although he bogeyed 11, two more birdies put him in sight of a 66 until he bogeyed 17. "I feel in a great position to have a run at the championship. 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 total of 218 -- five behind Van de Velde. "I have three top 10 finishes in the States and any time you're in the top 10 your not far from winning. "This has got to be one of the best rounds I have ever played. I'm only 5-foot-6 but I felt about 6-foot tall out there the way I was playing," Parry said. "I knew it was always on, someone going there and having a low round. It was just a matter of hoping it was me." The 30-year-old Aussie had played the first two rounds in the company of Tiger Woods and Ian Woosnam, both former Masters champions, and he said it may have rubbed off on him. "Playing with Tiger and Woosie was probably a blessing in disguise. They played so well they probably dragged me to their level," said Parry, who led the final round of the 1992 Masters before finishing in a tie for 13th. "Hopefully I can finish the job."   Related information 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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