UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – Miguel Angel Jimenez handled gusty winds and shot a 1-under 69 Saturday to grab the lead after the third round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Despite three bogeys on the windy back nine, the 52-year-old Spaniard finished as one of just four players under par for the day. He’s at 3-under 207 through 54 holes at Scioto Country Club in suburban Columbus.

Jimenez started the day three shots off the lead. After two birdies on the front nine, he birdied the 12th before carding bogeys on the 13th and 14th, a birdie on the 15th and another bogey on the 16th. He finished with a pair of pars just as sheets of driving rain rolled in.

“The conditions, they are tough today, especially because of the wind,” Jimenez said. “The greens were softer on the first two rounds, but it’s the gusting wind there that (makes it) not easy to choose the club, the right club. Sometimes it will go a place that you don’t (want) to, you know?”

Gene Sauers also battled the wind and had an up-and-down day with four birdies and five bogeys, finishing with a 71 to put him in second place, one stroke off the lead. He shot a 68 on Thursday and 69 Friday.

“The heat, the wind, the rain on the last hole – it was a brutal day,” said the 53-year-old Sauers, who has never won a senior tournament in five seasons but has 17 top-10 finishes.

Ian Woosnam, Loren Roberts and Billy Mayfair were in a tie for third at 1-over par.

The leader after Friday’s round, Joey Sindelar, shot at 77 Saturday and slipped to 2-over and into a tie for sixth place.

“Golf’s hard,” he said. “U.S. Open’s harder. And I thought for the most part, I was pretty happy with the way I played. It wasn’t horrible. Just a couple of uglies, and it played hard out there. Problem is, we’ve got a pretty good guy out there in the lead and a couple more really good ones right behind him.”

Jimenez finished in the top 10 in six of the seven senior events he’s played in this year, winning the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in April. He finished second at three others. He lost the 3M Championship in a playoff with Joe Durant, who made a double eagle on the first playoff hole.

As for Sunday, Jimenez said he’ll “just keep playing golf and give myself patience. That’s the main thing. Whatever happens happens.

“Of course,” he added, “you have to enjoy yourself.”

Calgary’s Stephen Ames holds a share of 15th at 4-over after carding a third-round 76, while St. Catharines, Ont., native Rod Spittle sits T51 at 12-over.

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – Joey Sindelar, one of four former Ohio State players in the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in suburban Columbus, has felt the support of the hometown crowd all week.

It apparently was a big help Friday. The 58-year-old Sindelar shot a 4-under 66 on a hot and humid day to take the second-round lead. He had five birdies, including two in a row after a bogey on No. 5. After finishing the first round with a 69, he was at 5 under overall.

“I’ve never been unconvinced that that many people in your corner, as the four of us have witnessed this week, cannot somehow kind of talk you into what might happen,” Sindelar said.

His highlight was a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, after pars on the six previous holes.

“I’m seeing the line very well, and I seem to be able to hit the ball where I’m looking, and so far it’s been a fun week with the putter,” said Sindelar, whose best finish in a senior event was a second in 2009.

Billy Mayfair, making his first senior start after turning 50 last Saturday, was a stroke back after a 67. He had four birdies and a bogey.

“Any time you put the words USGA in front of a tournament, first of all, they’re going to be the best venues you’re ever going to find, and they’re going to be set up very difficult,” Mayfair said. “You’ve got to drive the ball well. You’ve got to hit good, smart iron shots, and you’ve got to position the ball on the green really well. Usually, that’s below the hole. The greens will get firmer and firmer.”

Calgary’s Stephen Ames collected five birdies on the day en route to a 68. The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member holds a share of fourth alongside Glen Day of Little Rock, Ark. Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., posted a 70 and is T58 at 7-over.

First-round leader Vijay Singh followed his opening 66 with a 75 to drop into a tie for eighth at 1 over.

“I didn’t hit that many fairways,” Singh said. “It was a lot windier today. I got some bad breaks, didn’t putt as well. But all in all, I managed. I didn’t play as bad as what the score reads.”

Defending champion Jeff Maggert also was 1 over after a 71. He won last year at Del Paso in California.

Sindelar said stamina has been factor for the 50-and-over players in the blistering heat and high humidity. For one thing, Sindelar said he also had trouble keeping his hands dry on the club. The conditions also have worked in their favor, with the course playing hard and fast.

“Some of us have aged way different than others,” he said. “I’m extremely arthritic so the heat is good for me. It keeps me loose so I’m kind of enjoying it. But, boy, at night we’re cramping no matter how much you drink. Everybody got beat down a little. It’s just tough physically to go through that out there.”

John Daly had an 81 to miss the cut. He had three double bogeys, six bogeys and a birdie.

Bernhard Langer was tied for 23rd at 3 over after a 70.

Because of the threat of rain Saturday, the players will play in threesomes starting at about 7:30 a.m.

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – Vijay Singh rebounded from a bad shot on the 17th to birdie the final hole Thursday and take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open.

Still playing full-time on the PGA Tour at age 53, the big Fijian shot a 4-under 66 on a hot and humid afternoon at Scioto Country Club, the suburban Columbus course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.

Singh pushed his tee shot right and bogeyed the par-3 17th. On the par-4 18th, he hit his second shot to 4 feet. The three-time major champion hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens.

“I’m driving the ball well,” said Singh, coming off a tie for 56th on Sunday in Connecticut in the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship. “I’m hitting my irons good. Playing the regular tour, I’ve been playing pretty decent out there too. I came here (and) obviously expected to play well, and I just played well today.”

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jeff Gallagher, Michael Allen, Gene Sauers and Glen Day shot 68.

“The weather is good. It’s perfect. It’s hot, humid,” Jimenez said. “This heat is going to drain a lot from you and probably (make things) more difficult, not because the course is more difficult, but the situation for the players that will be there at the end of the weekend.”

Singh is winless in nine career starts on the 50-and-over tour

“Every time I tee it up (in senior events), if I don’t win, I’m really disappointed,” Singh said. “So I put a lot more pressure on myself, and that’s not very good. I force myself to play well over here instead of just playing. So my attitude this week is just go and play and see what happens.”

Singh finished second this year in the PGA Tour’s Quicken Loans National in June, but missed the cut at the British Open and the PGA Championship. He said the dry, hard course at Scioto was a tough test.

“It was really firm,” Singh said. “Couldn’t stop even a sand wedge. Nothing was spinning. If you missed a green, it was very difficult to get up and down.”

The hot, dry conditions aren’t supposed to last, with rain forecast Friday and Saturday.

Defending champion Jeff Maggert had a 70. He won last year at Del Paso in California.

“The course is playing great, very difficult,” Maggert said. “Just every hole is demanding. You got to keep the ball on the fairway and pay attention to what you’re doing around the greens, make sure you’re giving yourself some opportunities to putt for birdies. Missing the greens here can really hurt you pretty bad too. It’s a ball striker’s course, and I’m hitting the ball well. So hopefully, the putter will cooperate over the next three days, and I can finish it off with a good tournament.”

Calgary’s Stephen Ames and John Daly also shot matching 70s.

“I actually hit the ball decent today,” Daly said. “I made a few putts, but nothing special. It was cool to play pretty much 16 holes bogey-free. I made a few 5- and 6-footers for pars as well, which helped. I had not been putting very good.”

Bernhard Langer opened with a 73. Woodbridge, Ont., native Dave Bunker follows one stroke behind, and Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., completes the Canadian contingent at 77.

BLAINE, Minn. – Joe Durant made a 10-foot eagle putt on the first hole of a playoff with Miguel Angel Jimenez on Sunday to win the PGA Tour Champions’ 3M Championship.

The 52-year-old Durant won on the par-5 18th after closing with a birdie on the hole in regulation for a 9-under 63. After a double bogey on the par-4 14th, Jimenez birdied the last four holes for a 67 to match Durant at 19-under 197 at TPC Twins Cities.

Jimenez birdied the 18th in the playoff, too, before Durant rolled in the right-to-left winner.

Durant won for the second time on the 50-and-over tour and the first by himself after teaming with Billy Andrade to win the Legends of Golf last year. Durant won the last of his four PGA Tour titles at Walt Disney World in 2006.

Durant opened with a 70 and shot a 64 on Saturday to begin the final round four strokes behind leader Jimenez. Durant birdied Nos. 1-2, 4-5 and 7-8 in a front-nine 30, and added birdies on Nos. 10 and 12. He dropped a stroke on the par-3 13th and got it back with a birdie on the par-4 14th.

Jimenez shot 67-63 to take a one-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland into the final round.

Two weeks ago at Carnoustie in the Senior British Open, Jimenez took a four-stroke lead into the last day, only to shoot 75 and tie for third – three strokes behind winner Paul Broadhurst.

Jimenez won in Mississippi in March for his third career PGA Tour Champions victory. The 52-year-old Spanish player has 15 regular European Tour victories, the last in the 2014 Spanish Open at a tour-record 50 years, 133 days.

Two-time winner Bernhard Langer had a 64 to tie for third with Sutherland (68) at 17 under. Langer has broken par in all 24 of his rounds in the event.

David Frost (66) and Monday qualifier Glen Day (68) followed at 16 under.

Two-time defending champion Kenny Perry had a 68 to tie for 37th at 7 under.

John Daly tied for 71st at 3 over after a 75.

BLAINE, Minn. – Miguel Angel Jimenez made a 17-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole Saturday for a 9-under 63 and the second-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ 3M Championship.

The 52-year-old Spanish player had five straight birdies on Nos. 6-10 and also birdied the par-3 17th in good scoring conditions at generous TPC Twins Cities. He had a 14-under 130 total.

“I played very solid all day long,” Jimenez said. “Finished with four birdies on the front nine and another at 10, then stopped making putts. Nice way to finish.”

Two weeks ago at Carnoustie in the Senior British Open, Jimenez took a four-stroke lead into the final round, only to shoot 75 and tie for third – three strokes behind winner Paul Broadhurst.

“I’m confident with my game right now,” Jimenez said. “Just play my game right now.”

Jimenez won in Mississippi in March for his third career PGA Tour Champions victory. He has 15 regular European Tour victories, the last in the 2014 Spanish Open at a tour-record 50 years, 133 days.

“This year, my goal was to make the Olympics,” Jimenez said. “I put too much pressure on myself early this year.”

Kevin Sutherland was a stroke back after a 64. He tied for second last year.

“I putted unbelievable well,” Sutherland said. “Struggled with my irons today … I think someone will have go low tomorrow. It’s going to take a good score tomorrow, maybe something like I shot today.”

First-round leader Glen Day was 12 under, following his opening 65 with a 67. He played his way into the field Monday, topping the five qualifiers with a 7-under 64 at nearby Victory Links.

Colin Montgomerie and Jeff Maggert each shot 67 to get to 11 under.

Doug Garwood had the round of the day with a 62 to join the group at 10 under. He used a TPC Twin Cities youth caddie Saturday after his regular caddie fell ill Friday.

“It all kind of came together,” said Garwood, one off tying the course record. “I kept making putts. I made so many, I lost track. … It was the putter today. Hit it decent, nothing great.”

Two-time champion Bernhard Langer was tied for 10th at 9 under after a 68. He has broken par in all 23 of his rounds in the event.

Two-time defending champion Kenny Perry had a 68 to move into a tie for 45th at 3 under.

John Daly had his second 72, leaving him tied for 62nd at even par.

Local favourite Tom Lehman shot his second 73.

BLAINE, Minn. – Monday qualifier Glen Day shot a 7-under 65 in perfect conditions Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ 3M Championship.

“Yes, I have a little more motivation as a Monday qualifier,” Day said. “I didn’t play as well today as I did Monday. I had no expectations this week. I just wanted to get into the tournament.”

On Monday, he topped the five qualifiers with a 7-under 64 at nearby Victory Links.

On Friday playing in the first group off the first tee at TPC Twin Cities, the 50-year-old Day had four straight late birdies in his bogey-free round.

“I made some putts and avoided mistakes,” Day said. “The greens are great. I was first out and they were perfect. Think first group out is an advantage.”

Jeff Maggert and Rod Spittle shot 66, and two-time champion Bernhard Langer was at 67 along with Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Woody Austin, Kevin Sutherland, Carlos Franco, Scott Dunlap, Bart Bryant and Monday qualifier Jean-Francois Remesy.

Langer closed with a 20-foot eagle putt. He has broken par in all 22 of his rounds in the event.

Montgomerie had nine birdies and three bogeys.

“Nine birdies and three mistakes,” the Scot said. “We know this course isn’t one of the most difficult. The fairways are quite generous and the greens are super. You’ve got to holing putts. I was doing that today. We’ll see how it does the next two days.”

Day made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 second and ran in a 10-footer on the par-5 third. He holed a 6-footer on par-4 11th, and made four straight on Nos. 14-17 – holing putts of 4, 25, 8 and 10 feet.

“There are a lot of birdie holes on the back nine. It’s a horse race out here, especially on this course.”

Day won the 1999 MCI Classic for his lone PGA Tour title. On the senior tour, he tied for sixth in Mississippi in April and last month in Endicott, New York.

Larry Nelson shot his age with a 68, the third time he was accomplished the feat. The World Golf Hall of Famer also bettered his age last year in the event with a second-round 66 at age 67.

John Daly opened with a 72, and two-time defending champion Kenny Perry and local favourite Tom Lehman shot 73. Lehman teamed with Arnold Palmer to design TPC Twin Cities.

Fred Funk withdrew after 12 holes because of a back injury.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Paul Broadhurst won the Senior British Open on Sunday at Carnoustie for his first senior major title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Scott McCarron.

The 50-year-old Broadhurst overcame an opening 75 to become the third English player to win a PGA Tour Champions major, joining Mark James and Roger Chapman. Broadhurst also is the first player to win the event in his debut since Fred Couples in 2012 at Turnberry.

“It’s massive, absolutely massive,” Broadhurst said. “I’m not aware of how big it is yet, honestly. I’m trying not to think about it. Beyond my wildest dreams to be honest. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to players like me normally. I’ve won a few tournaments over the years, but nothing anywhere near as big as this event. I feel very, very privileged to have won this event.”

Broadhurst shot a 66 on Friday and a 68 on Saturday to enter the final round four strokes behind leader Miguel Angel Jimenez. The winner birdied the par-5 sixth, par-4 10th, par-3 13th and par-4 15th in his bogey-free round in mostly cloudy conditions with 8-16 mph wind and occasional drizzle. He finished at 11-under 277.

McCarron bogeyed the par-3 16th and par-4 18th in his 69.

“I didn’t really have everything this week,” McCarron said. “I had a bad neck all week and was kind of playing around that a little bit. I just didn’t putt all that well all week long but I kind of hung in there. I had a chance with a couple holes to go, so that’s all you can ask for. Unfortunately, the bogeys on 16, 18, cost me the tournament.”

Jimenez had a 75 to drop into a tie for third with Magnus Atlevi (67) at 8 under.

“The 75 today was the other side of the coin from yesterday,” Jimenez said. “I was a little bit tense, not loose in the beginning of the round, and then didn’t play as well as yesterday.”

Broadhurst earned $279,144, a full PGA Tour Champions exemption through the 2017 season, a spot in the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale and a five-year exemption into the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hawaii. The 1991 Ryder Cup player won six times on the European Tour and also took the European Senior Tour’s Scottish Senior Open.

Where does this victory rank?

“Bigger than all of them, I think – a lot, lot bigger,” Broadhurst said. “I played some of my best golf this week. I really hit the ball nicely. My iron play today I thought was really good. I hit some top iron shots into 10 and 15. Yeah, the hard work I’ve put in paid off this week.”

Broadhurst played his final 45 holes in 14 under after going 3 over on his first 27. His final 54-hole total in relation to par of 14 under matched Carl Mason and Bruce Summerhays – both in 2003 – for the lowest in the history of the event. Broadhurst’s opening 75 was the highest start by a winner since Tom Watson also had a 75 in 2005.

Brandt Jobe (66) and Tom Byrum (72) were 7 under, and Joe Durant (73) and Wes Short Jr. (73) were another stroke back.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Miguel Angel Jimenez opened a four-stroke lead in the Senior British Open, shooting a 7-under 65 on Saturday in mild conditions to fall one short of matching the Carnoustie Golf Links record.

The 52-year-old Spaniard had a bogey-free round in wind at 6-12 mph on the mostly cloudy afternoon. He had an 11-under 205 total after opening 70-70, putting him in position for his first major title.

“Tonight, I’m going to do exactly the same thing I did the previous night,” Jimenez said. “I go with my friends, we go to a nice diner with a nice bottle of Rioja and after that I’m going to have a bit, fat cigar with a nice malt whisky.”

Jimenez won in Mississippi in March for his third career PGA Tour Champions victory. He has 15 regular European Tour victories, the last in the 2014 Spanish Open at a tour-record 50 years, 133 days.

“Of course, I care,” Jimenez said. “I love what I do, and what I’ve done for the past 28 years. I want to do well, to be as relaxed as possible and do my best.”

He hit a 4-iron into 17 to set up a birdie, but missed a 6-footer on 18 after a 5-iron approach.

“It was a very nice day on the golf course,” Jimenez. “I played very solid from tee to green. Everything was working perfectly today. I played the last two holes beautifully so I am happy with my day and the score, despite not making the last putt for a 64.”

Paul Broadhurst (68), Wes Short Jr. (69), Tom Byrum (71) and Joe Durant (72) were tied for second.

Broadhurst opened with a 75 and had a 66 on Friday. He saved par on 18 with an 8-footer.

“You don’t want to finish with a bogey so it’s nice to have dinner on a high rather than a low,” the Englishman said. “Miguel’s going to be the man to beat, without a doubt. I was hitting some good shots in the group ahead of him, and every time I turned around he had just hit it inside me.”

Durant slipped back after sharing the second-round lead with Kohki Idoki.

“I played horrible today, I really did,” Durant said. “My iron game was terrible. I just couldn’t figure it out. I tried about 20 different swing thoughts and just couldn’t zero it in for some reason. I just kept flaring everything out to the right. My sequencing was bad.”

Scott McCarron (71) was 6 under.

Bernhard Langer was tied for 12th at 3 under after his third 71. He won the 2010 event at Carnoustie.

Idoki had a 77 to drop into a tie for 18th at 2 under. Defending champion Marco Dawson was tied for 68th at 9 over after a 78. He won last year at Sunningdale.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Joe Durant birdied the par-4 18th hole Friday for a 3-under 68 and a share of the Senior British Open lead with Kohki Idoki.

The 52-year-old Durant birdied three of the first five holes on the back nine, the second two on the par-5 12th and 14th at Carnoustie Golf Links in 10-15 mph wind with some light rain.

Durant teamed with Billy Andrade to win the 2015 Legends of Golf for his lone PGA Tour Champions title. The four-time PGA Tour winner has five top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up finish to Bernhard Langer in the major Constellation Senior Players in June.

Idoki, the 54-year-old Japanese player who won the 2013 Senior PGA Championship, had a 67 to match Durant at 7-under 137. He rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 17th with a chip-in birdie on 18.

Olin Browne (66), Jesper Parnevik (68), Carlos Franco (69), Tom Byrum (69) and Peter Fowler (69) were a stroke back, Mark O’Meara (70) topped the group at 5 under, and Tom Lehman (67) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (70) were another stroke behind.

Calgary native Stephen Ames shot 71 to sit T22 at 1-under.

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Woody Austin made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine and finished with a 4-under 68 to take the first-round lead in the Senior British Open.

The 52-year-old Austin rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 16. He has struggled after winning three times in four events this year on the PGA Tour Champions.

“It seems, I forgot how to play after that,” Austin said. “It’s been really bad since. It’s been unfortunately a long stretch of really ugliness.”

Mark O’Meara was a stroke back along with Carlos Franco, Esteban Toledo, Joe Durant, Tom Byrum, Scott McCarron and Peter Fowler. Franco, from Paraguay, qualified Monday.

The wind was 10-15 mph at Carnoustie Golf Links with a mix of sun and clouds and a high in the 60s.

“I think the rain yesterday softened the course a little bit,” O’Meara said. “We were pretty fortunate. The wind laid down just a little bit in the middle of our round out there, so it was a little bit more playable. But Carnoustie is a very demanding golf course. You have to drive the ball well. You have to be accurate with your iron shots, and then you’ve got to putt well.”

Austin won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship.

“I’m not into grinding,” Austin said. “I’m not into beating a bunch of balls anymore. I did that for my 40 years. I’m done. So, I go home, I play with my kids, I play with my family. I own a golf course. I help run the golf course. I try to do the things I need to do there. You’ll find me sometimes weeding, jumping on a mower and mowing. I hit balls usually maybe Saturday and Sunday the week before I go back out. That’s it. That’s my preparation. The only time I work on is when I get to the golf course.”

Bernhard Langer, the winner in 2010 at Carnoustie, had a 71.

Calgary’s Stephen Ames and defending champion Marco Dawson opened with 72s. Dawson won last year at Sunningdale.

Michael Bradley had a 74 in his senior debut. He won four times on the PGA Tour.