Garcia keeps his cool and his lead

Trailed around the course by six fans who spelled out his first name on their yellow T-shirts, the demonstrative Spaniard showed no signs of wavering on a day for going low at Carnoustie, where expected storms off the North Sea never materialized.

There were plenty of red numbers on the scoreboard, led by Steve Stricker’s 7-under-par 64 that set a course record for an Open and was just one stroke off the tournament mark.

“It was just one of those rounds where everything kind of went right,” said Stricker, who lost his tour card after a dismal 2005 season. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I made quite a few putts, something I haven’t been doing as of late. Today, they all seemed to go in.”

But Garcia maintained a comfortable distance from any would-be challengers. He posted a 2-under 34 on the front side and added another birdie at No. 11, putting him three shots ahead of Stricker’s 6-under 2007, five up on playing partner K.J. Choi and six better than anyone else.

Of course, the 27-year-old Garcia has never won a major championship, giving his challengers a ray of hope for Sunday’s final round.

“Obviously, Sergio is going for his first major,” said Ernie Els, who has three such titles on his resume. “He’s got a lot of things to think about tonight. I’ve been in that position many times. It’s not an easy sleep. He’s playing great. I wish him the best. But I’d like to give him a good go tomorrow.”

Els was among myriad players who posted scores in the 60s, his 68 even more remarkable because it included a triple-bogey 8 at the sixth hole, one of the easiest on the course.

Chris DiMarco, last year’s Open runner-up at Hoylake, surged into contention again with a 66. Justin Rose of England and Pelle Edberg of Sweden both shot 67. Masters champion Zach Johnson, European Ryder Cup stalwart Paul McGinley and three-time major winner Vijay Singh were among those with 68s.

“My iron play has been really good the last two days,” said DiMarco, who made seven birdies. “I’m hitting them right at the hole, which is nice.”

And what about Tiger Woods, trying to become the first player in more than half-century to win three straight Open titles?

He scored in the 60s, as well, but it wasn’t the sort of major rally that he needed on “Moving Day.” A 1-under 212 left him eight shots off the lead as Garcia finished up.

“I’ve got to play a little better than I have been, that’s for sure,” Woods said, not sounding all that pleased with his 69. “But at least I give myself a chance going out there tomorrow.”

He remembered what happened when the Open last came to Carnoustie in 1999. Paul Lawrie rallied from a double-digit deficit the final day to win in a playoff. Of course, that never would have happened without Jean Van De Velde making an inexplicable mess of the 72nd hole.

“Paul came from 10 back in ’99,” Woods said. “Certainly you can do it around this golf course.”

Woods stayed out of Barry Burn but struck a female fan in the head with a shot at the par-5 sixth, leaving her bloodied and bandaged.

“I had a pit in my stomach,” he said. “There was blood all over the place. I don’t know how she was smiling.”

Jennifer Wilson, 63, needed stitches and a bandage to patch up the bloody wound, but at least she got a chance to talk with Woods. He stopped by to apologize and give her a signed glove and ball.

Then he made par at the hole.

Woods, who struggled to a 74 Friday after yanking his very first shot into the burn, dropped a shot early on with a three-putt bogey at No. 2. His mood perked up when he holed his second supersized putt of the week, rolling it in from about 100 feet at No. 4 _ even longer than his 90-footer in the opening round.

But a wayward drive into the bunker at No. 10 led to another bogey. Even with birdie at the par-5 14th, he failed to make up any ground on Garcia.

Ian Poulter got as low as 5 under on the day before Carnoustie showed a bit of its old bite, which brought Garcia to tears at the ’99 Open.

Poulter hit into a gorse bush at No. 15 and wound up with a double bogey. He also hit into the Barry Burn, took two more bogeys coming in and signed for a 70 that could have been so much better.

“My tea is going to taste pretty sour when I go in for lunch,” Poulter said.

Els also wondered what might have been if not for that tee shot he launched out of bounds at the sixth, a hole that most players viewed as one of their best birdie chances. He rallied for a 31 on the back side for a 210 total.

“If I could have that one tee shot over,” Els said. “I would be a lot closer.”

Garcia is probably the best player around who’s yet to win a major, and plenty of guys with less talent have claimed one of golf’s biggest prizes. But this could be the weekend where El Nino finally silences his detractors.

A new belly putter _ with a long shaft that sticks in his gut, helping to steady his stroke _ seems to have resolved his biggest problem, those shaky attempts from 4 and 6 and 8 feet away that often separate the champions from the pretenders.

Choi, perhaps the hottest player in golf with victories at two big tournaments in the past two months, began the round only two strokes behind the leader and made a birdie at No. 2.

But he staggered before the turn and dropped three more strokes to Garcia as the final group headed for the finish.