Phil Mickelson is still optimistic about his chances to win the claret jug for a second time.

Keeping his press session short and sweet after a cold, occasionally wet day at Royal Troon, the 2013 Open winner offered a blunt assessment of what needs repairing heading into Sunday’s final round.

“Andrew Getson and I have some work to do to get my swing back to where it was the first couple of days and it shouldn’t be too far off,” he said after a 70 that included three birdies and two bogeys. “I’d love to play tomorrow’s round like I did the first two and give myself a shot.”

Mickelson says the issue is a tendency to lunge forward as he starts his downswing as he did with a 4-iron at No. 17.

“It will always be a tendency for me, trying to keep the ball down, my head from the top just moves forward and I become more vertical on the plane. I can’t match up my release and so forth. Technically I’m giving you a bunch. It was an awful swing.”

Mickelson took heart from his ability to hold the round together on an “off” day.

“The game of golf just comes and goes. The most important thing is to find a way to get the ball in the hole. And that’s what I did.”

Henrik Stenson holds a slender one shot lead heading into the final round of the Open Championship.

The 40-year-old Swede got up-and-down from just off the edge of the 18th green to post a three under par 68 to lead by one shot from Phil Mickelson on 12 under par overall.

The American left-hander had started the third round one shot clear of Stenson but he dropped back into second place after posting a one under par 70 which gave him an eleven under par total.

The Championship is looking very much as if it will be a two-horse race because there is a five shot gap back from Mickelson to third-placed Bill Haas who carded a 69 to position himself on six under par as he bids to claim his first top-ten finish in 28 appearances in a Major championship.