Group hunt

Colin Montgomerie was just about ready to wave the white flag after Thursday's first round. He said what everyone was thinking after Tiger Woods shot 66 to start the British Open.

"It's ominous, who's on top of the board, ominous," Monty said, well, ominously. "If there's a course built for him, it's this one. He won by eight last time here and who's to say he won't do the same again?"

There were ominous signs Saturday at St. Andrews, too, but in a reversal of fortune, they were ominous only for Woods. He appeared to have the 134th Open Championship in his hip pocket but he slipped up Saturday with three bogeys, shot 71 (1-under par on the scorecard but 3-over par for the way he usually plays the Old Course) and let a host of pursuers (most of them big names) back into the hunt.

Jose Maria Olazabal is two shots back, Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie are three back, and Sergio Garcia and Brad Faxon are four back. Vijay Singh and U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell are five back with 11 players, including John Daly, Darren Clarke and Kenny Perry, six back. In other words, if Woods falters at all in Sunday's final round, this Open is up for grabs.

Here are the top eight contenders chasing Woods after 54 holes, ranked in order of who's most likely to win the British Open's old Claret Jug as the champion golfer of the year ... if Woods doesn't do the obvious and complete his second round of Grand Slam championships:

8. Brad Faxon: He's a beloved media favorite because he's a good guy, a good talker and a normal guy whose ego hasn't been affected by golf's millions. He probably doesn't have a great chance of winning just because of the serious talent on the board with him. I mean, is Faxon going to beat Tiger, Goose, Monty, Vijay and Sergio in an 18-hole sprint? That would be like Villanova winning the NCAA basketball championship over a bunch of superpowers. It happened once but it doesn't seem likely.

He's going to have a decent round, make a great check and save, or jump-start, his year. He'd be a great story as a winner, guy who came over to qualify, and he'd be a great champion, a golfer who understands and respects the game's traditions and the Open's importance. I'd love to see it but ...

7. Vijay Singh: It's never good to spot Tiger five strokes but if anyone can, it's the only guy who's ever wrestled Player of the Year, money title and the world No. 1 ranking from Tiger.

Singh played a sloppy mistake-filled round Saturday. Yes, he made six birdies but he threw down five bogeys. You can't do that in a low-scoring Open when virtual par is 69. He is still not sharp with his putting and he bogeyed two of the first three holes, the kind of start Sunday that will put him right out of the race. Playing his best, he's a real threat, but his game appears to have peaked for the moment. Never bet against him but don't bet on him.

6. Sean O'Hair: You've got to have a wild-card pick and this is mine. I loved it when I heard him talk about the breezy afternoon conditions in the third round when he said: "I'm from West Texas and this is a calm day there. I grew up playing in wind worse than this."