Norman on the verge of rewriting history at the British Open

"He's not strained like he used to be," said Evert, a winner of 18 tennis grand slam events who was known for her stamina and steady calm. "I'd like to ask him how he feels, but what worked for me might not work for him. We're different people and I don't want to impose."

Through three rounds, whatever Norman is thinking about is working, even as the hospitality tents have rattled and swayed. Few sounds could match the roars heard around the 14th green, where Norman rolled in that 10-foot birdie putt to tie Choi for the lead. When Choi needed three putts from off the 15th green, Norman had the lead to himself.

Norman made sturdy pars on 15 and 16 and reached the par-5 17th hole in two, his approach shot nearly reaching the correct level of the green before trickling down a swale to a lower shelf.

From 30 feet, Norman left his eagle putt a couple of turns short. He tapped in for a birdie 4 and a two-shot lead over Choi and Harrington.

On the 18th hole, Norman's tee shot settled nicely into the first cut of rough to the left of the fairway, but he pushed his approach short and right of the green. Norman scrambled out of trouble, hitting a deft chip over a bunker that almost rolled in. He tapped in for an easy par and the pole position in the final round, where he will be paired with Harrington, the defending champion.

Can Norman hold up?

"We all know where he was the last time he had a lead going into a major," said Faldo, who was in that final group at Augusta, shooting 67 and winning the Masters while Norman shot 78. "This would be massive. It'd be phenomenal."

Asked if Norman's close calls in the past might help him Sunday, Faldo said, "Mistakes — that's how everybody learns in life."

If Norman were to win his third claret jug, that blown lead in the 1996 Masters would no longer be the first line on the resume. Norman would be looked at differently by history, by the fans and, probably, even by himself.