Jordan Spieth

Louis Oosthuizen is atop the leaderboard and in control with 18 holes to play at the 149th edition of The Open Championship. On Sunday he'll look to hold off the field in an attempt to snap an 11-year title drought.

Oosthuizen has finished as runner-up on three occasions already in 2021. He took second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, second at the PGA Championship in May and second again at the U.S. Open in June. The final major of the year gives him another opportunity to claim his first victory since The Open in 2010. At 12 under par, the South African remains one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa and three ahead of Jordan Spieth.

He'll be paired with Morikawa again Sunday. Here's a look at the Saturday leaderboard and the Sunday tee times as The Open reaches its conclusion.

The Open Championship Saturday Leaderboard

1. Louis Oosthuizen, -12

2. Collin Morikawa, -11

3. Jordan Spieth, -9

T4. Corey Conners, -8

T4. Scottie Scheffler, -8

T6. Jon Rahm, -7

T6. Mackenzie Hughes, -7

T6. Dylan Frittelli, -7

Full leaderboard via The Open.

Sunday Tee Times and Pairings

(All times ET)

3:20 a.m.: Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns

4:10 a.m.: Chez Reavie, Bryson DeChambeau

5:45 a.m.: Max Homa, Justin Thomas

6:05 a.m.: Sam Horsfield, Rory McIlroy 

6:15 a.m.: Tony Finau, Daniel van Tonder

7 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Brooks Koepka

7:40 a.m.: Emiliano Grillo, Dustin Johnson

8:25 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Paul Casey

9:15 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm

9:25 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Corey Conners

9:35 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Collin Morikawa 

All tee times available via Golf Channel.

Sunday Predictions

Dustin Johnson Falls Out of Top 20

It's been a strange week for the No. 1 golfer in the world. Johnson put together a decent opening round of 68, improved by three strokes Friday and then fell apart Saturday with a three-over 73.

Johnson bogeyed five holes before he found his first birdie Saturday as the contenders separated themselves from the also-rans. That dropped Johnson 14 spots, from safely inside the top 10 to barely in the top 20. It's not likely to get any better for him Sunday. Not after he hit just 50 percent of his fairways and the same amount of greens in regulation. The 37-year-old has made a habit of struggling in later rounds this season. Based on how he played Saturday, Sunday seems likely to bring more of the same.

Jon Rahm Leads Sunday Charge

Jon Rahm looks like a sneaky pick to grab control of the leaderboard before Oosthuizen and Morikawa tee off. The 2021 U.S. Open champion will start his round 20 minutes before the final pairing tees off at No. 1, and that should give him more than enough time to put some pressure on the leaders.

Rahm bogeyed the first hole Saturday before sinking birdies on Nos. 3 and 6—both par threes. A bogey on the par-five No. 7 washed out some of that work, but it's clear Rahm is starting to figure out Royal St. George's. He strung together three more birdies in his final seven holes and is in position to catch Oosthuizen, who is five strokes ahead.

Look for Rahm to set the pace Sunday as Oosthuizen attempts to close out a victory. And don't be surprised if Rahm challenges for the title down the stretch.

After finishing second in the last two major championships, Louis Oosthuizen is 18 holes from breaking through.

Oosthuizen carded a one-under 69 in Saturday's third round of the 2021 Open Championship, giving him an overall score of 12 under and putting him one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa at Royal St. George's Golf Club.

Jordan Spieth is three strokes behind at nine under.

After two straight brilliant rounds of 64 and 65 to begin the event, Oosthuizen came back to earth a little Saturday with a steady 69. He carded three birdies against two bogeys, getting out of a three-way tie with Morikawa and Spieth with a birdie on the par-three 16th.

Oosthuizen could become the ninth wire-to-wire winner of a major championship since the turn of the century. That said, Oosthuizen has a long history of coming up just short in majors.

Spieth is in position to capture his first major since the 2017 Open Championship. At the time, it appeared like Spieth would ascend to the throne vacated by Tiger Woods as the face of the sport. His triumph at Royal Birkdale was his third major championship before his 24th birthday.

The following four years have been an odyssey of lost confidence and a fall from grace. Spieth went 45 months without a PGA Tour win before taking April's Valero Texas Open, a victory that helped him regain his confidence during a stellar 2021 season. Barring a complete meltdown Sunday, Spieth will finish in the top 20 for the 11th time in his last 13 tournaments; he'll have eight top-10s in that span if he sticks on the leaderboard.

Of course, Spieth has more work cut out for him than it appeared he would heading to the 17th tee. He ended his day with a pair of bogeys, including a three-putt on No. 18 that dropped him from a birdie try to a bogey. 

Morikawa, one of the most promising young faces in golf, has been brilliant in his Open Championship debut. The 24-year-old has posted three straight under-par rounds to put himself in contention to make it onto a very short list of golfers who won the Open on their first chance.

Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler are in a tie for fourth place at eight under. Conners ascended the leaderboard Saturday with a four-under 66, tied for the second-best score of the day.

Jon Rahm, Mackenzie Hughes and Dylan Frittelli are all five shots off the lead and round out the list of potential contenders heading into Sunday.

Louis Oosthuizen continues to be the most impressive player at the 2021 Open Championship, though he has a lot of challengers on his heels heading into the weekend. 

The South African maintained sole possession of the lead after Friday's second round with a 65. His 36-hole score is 11 under par overall is the lowest two-round total since 2014 (Rory McIlroy, 12 under). 

Collin Morikawa's 64 was tied for the lowest score of the day. He's now in second place at nine under par, followed by Jordan Spieth (eight under) and a trio tied for fourth place at seven under. 

The cut line of one-over par means several marquee players, including Francesco Molinari and Tyrell Hatton, both of whom were two over, are headed home early. Phil Mickelson, who was tied for last place after opening with an 80 on Thursday, finished his brief run at Royal St. George's Golf Club in 152nd place at 12 over.

2021 Open Championship Leaderboard - Second Round

1. Louis Oosthuizen (-11)

2. Collin Morikawa (-9)

3. Jordan Spieth (-8)

T4. Dustin Johnson (-7)

T4. Dylan Frittelli (-7)

T4. Scottie Scheffler (-7)

T7. Daniel van Tonder (-6)

T7. Emiliano Grillo (-6)

T7. Marcel Siem (-6)

T7. Andy Sullivan (-6)

T7. Justin Harding (-6)

Full leaderboard via TheOpen.com. 

Since this year's Open Championship is only a par-70, compared to 2014 when McIlroy was 12 under through two rounds on a par-72, Oosthuizen's 36-hole total is the lowest in the 149-year history of this event. 

One reason Oosthuizen has been so successful is his ability to avoid mistakes. The 38-year-old has just one bogey thus far. He also had four birdies and his first eagle of the tournament in the second round. 

Oosthuizen has also been brilliant off the tee, hitting 13 out of 14 fairways on Friday. His greens in regulation percentage was 83.3 and averaged 1.61 putts per green in regulation. 

Despite being close to winning the past two major tournaments, Oosthuizen has had some issues in the final two rounds that have cost him. He was one under par over the final 36 holes at the U.S. Open after finishing four under in the first two rounds. 

After opening the PGA Championship at five under, Oosthuizen shot 72-73 over the final two rounds to finish two shots behind Mickelson. 

Morikawa was one of the day's big winners. His score of six under par on Friday tied Jon Rahm and Emiliano Grillo for the best in the field. It also marked his fifth consecutive round under par at a major dating back to the U.S. Open. 

Morikawa put up seven birdies and a bogey on No. 15, which proved to be the most difficult hole of the day. The average score on the par four was 4.36. 

This marks the Los Angeles native's first appearance in The Open Championship. The last player to win this tournament in their first attempt was Ben Curtis in 2003. 

Spieth has continued his recent string of excellent golf. Since posting a 77 in the first round of the U.S. Open, the Texas native has played his last 90 holes at 15 under par. He briefly moved into a tie for the lead at The Open Championship with his birdie on No. 12. 

Not far behind Spieth is Dustin Johnson, who is part of the three-way tie for fourth place at seven under par. His 65 on Friday marked his best single-round score at The Open Championship since the third round of the 2017 event. 

The Open Championship hasn't historically been one of Johnson's better events. He only has one top-10 finish since 2013 (tied for ninth in 2016). 

Among the notable players who will be around for the weekend, but not likely to contend include Rory McIlroy (even) and Xander Schauffele (even). Brooks Koepka (five under) and Sergio Garcia (three under) still have an outside shot at making a move if they can catch a break in the next two days. 

The third round will tee off at 4:20 a.m. ET. Morikawa and Oosthuizen will begin their rounds at 10:55 a.m. ET. 

Eleven years after winning The Open Championship, Louis Oosthuizen is in the driver's seat to do it again. 

The 38-year-old took a first-round lead with a six-under-par 64 at Royal St. George's Golf Club on Thursday. 

Oosthuizen was far from the only player who got off to a strong start. Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman are tied for second place at five under. A group of five players are tied in fourth place. 

Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood are among 10 players at three under.

2021 Open Championship Leaderboard - First Round

1. Louis Oosthuizen (-6)

T2. Brian Harman (-5)

T2. Jordan Spieth (-5)

T4. Mackenzie Hughes (-4)

T4. Dylan Frittelli (-4)

T4. Stewart Cink (-4)

T4. Benjamin Hebert (-4)

T4. Webb Simpson (-4)

T9. Tommy Fleetwood (-3)

T9. Collin Morikawa (-3)

T9. Andy Sullivan (-3)

T9. Justin Harding (-3)

T9. Danny Willett (-3)

T9. Jack Senior (-3)

T9. Justin Rose (-3)

T9. Scottie Scheffler (-3)

T9. Byeong Hun An (-3)

T9. Marcel Siem (-3)

Full leaderboard via TheOpen.com

Oosthuizen has yet to win a tournament this year, but he's been on the verge of a breakthrough for some time. The South African tied for second at the PGA Championship in May and was the sole runner-up at the U.S. Open last month. 

To post the best round of the day, Oosthuizen did all of his damage in an eight-hole span from Nos. 8-16. He made six birdies during that stretch and didn't have a bogey in the entire round. 

Spieth wasn't as sharp to start the day. He was at one over thanks to a bogey on the par-three third hole. 

From that point on, though, the Dallas native put together one of his most impressive rounds of the year. He had a run of four consecutive birdies from holes five through eight that dropped his score to three under when he made the turn. 

Spieth's birdie on No. 16 briefly gave him sole possession of the lead at five under until Oosthuizen passed him later. 

Thursday's 65 marked Spieth's best score in a round since the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. He led that event after 54 holes, but a 73 in the final round opened the door for Jason Kokrak to win the tournament. 

Spieth hasn't finished in the top 10 at The Open Championship since 2018. His last victory in a Grand Slam event was the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England. 

Further down the leaderboard, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia are among the notable players in contention. They are among a 13-way tie for 19th place at two-under par. 

Johnson did stumble late on the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9. He rebounded after making the turn thanks to birdies on 11 and 14 that kept him well within shouting distance of Oosthuizen. 

Another player who struggled on the front nine was Rory McIlroy. The 2014 Open Championship winner looked to be in serious trouble after putting up three consecutive bogeys and made the turn at one over. 

McIlroy moved to two over with a bogey on No. 11 before getting birdies on 14 and 18 to salvage an even-par 70. 

Phil Mickelson's quest to win his second major tournament of the year seems unlikely to happen. He finished the day tied with Deyen Lawson for last place at 10-over par overall. 

Looking ahead to the rest of the weekend, the only player to win The Open Championship since 2017 who was outside of the top three in the standings after the first round was Francesco Molinari in 2018. 

Louis Oosthuizen leads the field in the 2021 Open Championship, but Jordan Spieth is now the slight betting favorite to win at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spieth, who's tied for second with Brian Harman at five under, is +350 (bet $100 to win $350) to capture his second Claret Jug. Oosthuizen is +450 after a six-under 64 opening round. Together, they have some distance on the next-closest golfer, Collin Morikawa (+1600).

Spieth has been solid all season, earning eight top-10 finishes in 20 events so far. However, his struggles on the final day raise obvious questions as to his chances of pulling through at Royal St George's Golf Club. 

According to PGATour.com, Spieth is 142nd in Round 4 scoring average (71.20).

Unlike Spieth, Oosthuizen is still looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour this season, but that isn't for a lack of trying. He tied for second in the PGA Championship and was runner-up to Jon Rahm in the U.S. Open.

Dustin Johnson (two under) and Brooks Koepka (one under) have some ground to make up on Oosthuizen, but the oddsmakers remain optimistic about their ability to overcome that gap. The pair are both +1800, the fourth-best odds in the field.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Jon Rahm at +3500 despite being tied for 74th following a one-over round. Bryson DeChambeau posted the same score and is a long shot already (+13000).

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American golfers have had a hard time securing the Claret Jug in the last decade. 

Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth are the only Americans to win the British Open since 2010. Five Europeans and two South Africans have won during that span. 

A handful of United States players landed in high finishing positions, but the overall success has been minimal at what is now the season's final men's golf major. 

The good news for the American contingent at Royal St. George's this week is there are a few strong contenders, including Spieth, who could bring the Claret Jug back across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since 2017. 

Spieth will be a popular daily fantasy golf selection, as will Xander Schauffele, who seems to be competitive at every major he competes at. 

Even if you prefer a few American golfers for your lineup, you should still fill the back part of it out with experienced European players to strike a nice balance over four days. 

Daily Fantasy Picks

Utilize Jordan Spieth As The Top American Player

Spieth reeled off three top-10 finishes at The Open Championship from 2015-18, and he won the title in 2017. 

The 27-year-old finished inside the top 30 in each of the season's first three majors, and he is in some of the best form on the PGA Tour. 

Spieth landed inside the top 30 in each of his last seven appearances on the PGA Tour, so you can at least rely on his consistency going into Royal St. George's. 

Spieth carries the fifth-highest salary of any golfer in FanDuel's main tournament for The Open, but he could be well worth the price if he remains consistent and banks off his experience on links courses. 

If you target Spieth as one of your high-salary players, Rickie Fowler could be worth a look to complement him at $9,400.

Fowler has not had great results lately, but he does have three top-10 finishes at The Open, and he landed in a tie for fifth the last time Royal St. George's hosted the tournament back in 2011. 

Spieth and Fowler could be used in a stack of American players with Schauffele, who has nine top-10 major placings since 2017, to go along with whomever you choose from the European contingent for your six-man lineup.

One other American to consider is Kevin Kisner, who has a $8,900 salary. He has a second-place finish at The Open from 2018 and could fly under the radar with a low roster percentage. 

Include Some Experienced European Players

Since Tiger Woods last captured The Open in 2006, seven European players captured eight wins at the tournament. 

Francesco Molinari and Shane Lowry were the latest Europeans to secure the Claret Jug with multi-stroke victories in 2018 and 2019, respectively. 

The last two champions of the event are worth looks for DFS lineups, but so are players who have plenty of links experience and some solid results at The Open to back up consideration. 

Tommy Fleetwood finished a distant second to Lowry in 2019, and he owns three straight top-30 marks at The Open. 

Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood and Danny Willett were all in the top 10 at some point in 2019, and they could all carry extra motivation to win a major on home soil in England. 

Outside of the English players, Sergio Garcia should be a solid play from the European group. He has 10 career top-10 finishes at The Open and comes in at a decent salary of $9,500. 

If you strike the right balance of experienced links players with some in-form Americans, you should find yourself in a good position to win some cash when the weekend rolls around.

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The 2021 U.S. Open leaderboard is headlined by two relatively obscure players in Richard Bland and Russell Henley.

The pair of players at five under will be under immense pressure to keep their slim advantage at Torrey Pines Golf Club on Saturday.

While Bland and Henley are nice stories, it is hard to see both of them remaining at the top after the third round.

Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau lead a list of previous major champions within a few strokes, while Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are among the top golfers in search of their first major victories.

Rahm, Schauffele and others seem to be the better daily fantasy plays for Saturday's third round because of their consistency at Torrey Pines and the lack of pressure they face compared to the co-leaders.

Daily Fantasy Picks and Tips

Target Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele 

Rahm and Schauffele have been on the front page of the leaderboard for most of the first two rounds.

They put in two of the most consistent rounds to set them up for success. Rahm and Schauffele each recorded a 69 on Thursday, and the Spaniard was one shot better with a second-round 70.

Rahm was regarded as the favorite to win the U.S. Open because of the success he achieved in the buildup to Torrey Pines. The 26-year-old finished inside the top 10 at both of the season's majors, and he had four top-10 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open, which is held every year at Torrey Pines.

Schauffele has been in contention in each of the past four U.S. Opens, landing inside the top 10 in every one of those appearances.

The American has been close to earning his first major win for the past four years, as he has eight top-10 placings across all majors.

Rahm and Schauffele will not be bothered by the increased pressure that comes with the third round of a major since they have experience being toward the top of the leaderboard.

Each player should be considered as a DFS selection, and if you can fit both into a lineup, it is worth doing.

Take a Shot on Jordan Spieth 

Jordan Spieth eked his way into weekend play by reaching four under with a second-round 69.

All that matters is that Spieth will play Saturday and Sunday, and he has a chance to make a surge up the leaderboard.

Spieth's second-round should give him a confidence boost after a tough Thursday saw him card 77.

In his past six tournaments, Spieth carded five third-round scores in the 60s. Most of those put him in contention for top-10 finishes.

Spieth is far removed from that milestone, but he could move up a handful of places if he turns in a consistent round Saturday.

The American will not face any pressure playing in one of the first groups out, and it is not out of the question for him to go a few shots under par and get closer to even par for the tournament.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from PGATour.com.