If they're not on the course then there is only one place the pros are right now... on the sofa.

Woods loses one right off the tee at the next. That wry smile turns to a brief grimace...

Did you hear that?

That was the festival-esque screaming coming from the crowds around the 13th green as Tiger Woods trickled in a birdie putt from 10 feet.

Back-to-back birdies for the 14-time champion - and he's one off the lead!

I think there was even a hint of a smile from Tiger as he hung his putter in the air and trotted over to snatch his ball from the hole. Magnificent.

Alex Haworth: Looks like Woods has worked out how to play the back nine. Game on.

A heck of save from the defending champion.

Thomas pushes his second to the 15th green into the sand, splashing out before sprinting out of the bunker to peer over the mound and see where his ball ends up. About 25 feet away sir.

Not a problem. Thomas drills his putt straight down the throat of the hole to stay three behind Koepka.

-14 B Koepka (11)

-12 T Woods (12) A Scott (11)

-11 J Thomas (14)

Selected others

-10 T Pieters (17) S Lowry (14) J Rahm (11)

-9 T Hatton (F) G Woodland (12)

Karen Stupples
Former Women’s British Open champion on BBC Radio 5 live

This is amazing, when you consider how cautiously Tiger played this back nine yesterday. He is not playing cautiously today. He knows he needs to make birdies and is playing aggressively.

Oh, Tiger. Up ahead of Brooks Koepka on the par-three 180-yard 13th, Woods flops his tee shot to within a very makeable distance of the pin. Now for the birdie putt...

If Jon Rahm is going to turn his huge promise into a major win here then he had better get a wriggle on. It's been a steady rather than spectacular final round for the Spaniard who needs an explosive run on the back nine to move into the mix.

Rickie Fowler, Rahm's companion for the day, already looks cooked. He's the only player who started on the top page of the leaderboard not to have made a birdie today.

Image source, Getty Images

The result of the groundstaff having to fix the hole at 12 is Brooks Koepka having to wait it out for his tee shot. It doesn't seem to bother the leader, with a swagger and a thwack he nails it fairway-bound, only to see it slide towards another bunker.

Right, hole fixed. Gary Woodland plays first, and after ripping up the cup with that approach minutes earlier he tiddles one in for birdie.

Tiger's go... he's had a long time to look at this. Straight as you like, right into the heart of the hole and Woods moves to 12 under - two strokes off the lead.

Image source, Getty Images

Brooks Koepka is drowning par putts when he needs to, and at the minute it's keeping the American in a two-shot lead. Composure at the 11th.

Karen Stupples
Former Women’s British Open champion on BBC Radio 5 live

I've heard rumours they are digging all the greens up after this week and relaying them with a more hardy grass because they have been collapsing a bit under these shots.

The sort of luck you always get when you're scrabbling. Bad luck. Thomas Pieters confidently wafts his putter in an attempt to escape with a bogey six... ball hits the left lip and handbrake turns around the hole.

The Belgian stood on the 17th tee with a great opportunity to set a clubhouse lead that would ask questions of those behind him. Now he stands on the 18th wondering what might have been.

Here come the cavalry...

Tiger Woods isn't happy with the cup, and it looks like it could be re-cut. A hoard of groundstaff coming sprinting up the 12th to put it right. It's Gary Woodland's fault. The tournament's early leader landed his approach from the fairway almost in the hole and it's left a divot right on the edge of the cup and right on Tiger's line, which is proving difficult to repair.

Woods takes the opportunity for a little towel down. It's hotting up.

Image source, Getty Images

Karen Stupples
Former Women’s British Open champion on BBC Radio 5 live

That's a couple of jabby little strokes Thomas has had with the putter. If you're going to hit it that hard from that distance, you have to start it inside the hole.

Justin Thomas needs to make short work of this bunker. Does well... popping it to within a few feet of the flag.

But no! The defending champion lips out from close range. Thomas rolls his head back in frustration, that's a bogey after he'd done the hard graft.

Image source, Getty Images

Magic. Tiger Woods is absolutely sizzling. A deep breath from the American after he stings an approach to within eight feet of the flag.

All over for Thomas Pieters. His ball is diving into the water more than Tom Daley.

After taking a penalty drop from his tee shot, Pieters dumps his third shot back into the hazard further up the hole.

An exasperated-looking pitch sticks him on the green for five and one suspects he'll be lucky to walk off the green with a bogey.

Going to be a few sore throats in the households of those out at Bellerive today, especially the pack flooding round behind Tiger Woods.

Another fairway found since the turn, another chorus of deafening roars.