Flagsticks bending over, the loose shirts on the players flapping, the hats of spectators threatening to disappear up the fairway... that wind is really getting up now.

Throw in the pressure of a Sunday at the Open and we are surely going to see a few of the leaders implode.

Tommy Fleetwood looks assured so far, another birdie chance on the par-four fourth... another one rolls short.

The Englishman is tied fourth now after that dropped shot for Chappell.

That'll settle Kevin Kisner down perfectly. The American co-leader has a testing putt for par after finding the bunker but calmly knocks the ball into the hole.

Kisner has putted better than anyone this week and has started the final round well.

Kevin Chappell however cannot save par. He falls back from his position in third to a tie for fourth at six under.

Xander Schauffele is having a good natter with his caddie over his approach.

"Yep, that's perfect," he signs off with before standing over his lie. High he goes, into the heart of the green, a smattering of applause to greet it home.

Jordan Spieth is in the first cut, slightly right, with a decent lie. "Sit down ball!"

And it does! Wonderful control on that from the defending champion. An early birdie chance.

Tiger Woods has another birdie putt, this time on the second. He steps up and steps back. Now Tiger is ready....

The camera lenses click...

Woah. That's a big mis-read. Woods's putt goes comfortably left and travels past the hole too.

-9 Spieth (on the first), Schauffele (on the first), Kisner (1)

-6 Fleetwood (4), Molinari (1), Chappell (1)

-5 Van Rooyen (6), Simpson (2), Noren (2), Woods (1)

Selected: -4 Pepperell (14), Rose (4), McIlroy (3)

Full leaderboard

And Kevin Kisner has found the bunker with his second. The wind is already causing problems.

The co-leader chips out well but he's still got a lengthy par putt.

Kevin Chappell could only hack out of that rough on the first fairway. That means he's hitting an iron with his third shot on the par three. He gets it on the green but the ball stops almost half the green away from the pin. A bogey looks more likely than a par.

Xander Schauffele to play first, a little wiggle through his hips before skipping an iron down wind and watching it nestle on the fairway.

"On the tee from the USA, the defending champion..." Jordan Spieth's name brings big cheers with it.

"Light the candle," shouts one fan, seemingly American, as Spieth goes slightly right with his tee shot.

That's everyone under way...

Image source, Reuters

And Schauffele is out with the defending champion in the final pair.

Talking of Jordan Spieth, here's a cracking stat from the PGA: The best round-four scoring average on TOUR this season belongs to the American (68.27). Ominous?

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport at Carnoustie

And peace returns to the first green. The vast majority of spectators are staying put but there’s a decent amount off after Tiger. As are the countless writers, photographers and video cameramen, hoping to be able to say they were there when...

Image source, Reuters

Xander Schauffele, great genes.

His grandfather played football for Rapid Vienna while his father Stefan was a promising athlete in Germany with hopes of competing in the Olympics before a serious car crash with a drunk driver.

And fans from Taiwan, Japan, France and Germany can all claim an allegiance to the 25-year-old Californian - he was born in the United States to a Taiwanese mother who grew up in Japan and a half French, half German father.

Schauffele has won twice on the PGA Tour and was tied for second at the Players Championship earlier this year.

He followed a 66 in the second round with a 67 yesterday, bettering the score of playing partner Rory McIlroy, to move to nine under.

"Ah, sit, sit," commands Rory McIlroy as his wedge to the green fizzes to a halt mid-dancefloor, following another meaty drive up the third.

An outside chance of a birdie to wipe out that earlier bogey - some 35 feet, though, and he can only coax it up to within a putter's length of the pin.

A tap-in par for McIlroy. But Matt Kuchar is tumbling, a second bogey in his opening three holes.

Andrew Murray
BBC Radio 5 live reporter at Carnoustie

That is a real horrid spot for Kevin Chappell. He will have to play out to where a good drive would have landed.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Carnoustie

Kevin Kisner could win The Open, but I am interested to see how well he does during the final round of a major. He has been there in the final round of the PGA Championship last year, but he could not handle it. He definitely can win.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport at Carnoustie

Kevin Kisner is the putting master of the week, so far. The joint leader, has taken an average of 26 putts per round - taking a tournament low of 22 in round one.

Xander Schauffele is just behind him in second on 27 per round, while the other man in the lead, Jordan Spieth is joint fourth with 27.33.

Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose are also in the top 10; Rory McIlroy in the top 20...Tiger Woods down at 42nd.

But who will cope best when the pressure is really on in the final round?

Kevin Chappell backs off before stepping up to his ball for a second time on the first tee. Nerves or a small distraction? Either way it's not the best of starts. His ball is right and starts on the fairway before skipping on into some long rough, seeming to sit down naughtily.

Now here's co-leader Kevin Kisner. He led the USPGA Championship last year before falling away. His first shot is way back but finds the fairway.

Here's that long birdie putt for Tommy Fleetwood... a touch of right to left... not enough beef. Back-to-back pars for the Englishman, who remains tied fifth on six under, three off the pace.

Andrew Priestley: Tiger Woods changed the face of the sport of golf forever with what he did for over a decade across the 1990s and 2000s. But if he was to go on to win The Open this afternoon, that would be his crowning glory.

Ooooo. Almost. A bend of the knee from Tiger as the ball stays up to the left. He knocks in for par. Good start.

Molinari gets up and down from the front of the green to do the same.