Carnoustie, Scotland ? The prevailing photo of Sergio Garcia has him yelling at the sky after a wayward shot, as he holds the offending club over his head.

The commercial portrayal of Sergio Garcia has him deliberately hitting 7-irons into pools so he can meet lovely ladies who bask there.

Spain's Sergio Garcia plays a shot on the 14th fairway during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie, Scotland, Saturday.

The mischief and the tantrums of yesterday’s kid might be giving way to a champion’s sober composure.

It might just be that Garcia has completed the process of growing up in public.

We’ll see today.

The golf itself is no problem. For the third consecutive day Garcia commanded Carnoustie, with 15 pars and three birdies Saturday at the British Open.

His easygoing 3-under-par 68 left him at 9-under par, three strokes ahead of Steve Stricker.

Three behind Stricker are Chris DiMarco and Stewart Cink of the U.S., Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley of Ireland, South Korea’s K.J. Choi, England’s Paul Broadhurst and South Africa’s Ernie Els, all of whom must floor it this morning to put pressure on the 27-year-old son of Spain.

Garcia’s red-and-orange outfit nearly approximated Spain’s national colors, but he said he wouldn’t wear the same clothes today.

“I’d be kind of stinky, don’t you think?” he said.

Otherwise Garcia was neither as petulant nor as effervescent as he once was, talking in the one-step-at-the-time jargon of a golfer who has been on a sports psychologist’s couch, even though he emphatically said he’s never used one.

He also said he hasn’t even looked at his cell phone to see what international sports stars or young females might be encouraging him.

“Too many distractions,” he said. “I’ll look at all that tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow, but I feel good. It’s not the best I’ve ever played. I need to work on some little things, but I’m pleased.”

Garcia has hit 74 percent of his greens in regulation this week and has found 73 percent of his fairways. He has bogeyed three holes of 54, hasn’t had a double bogey and hasn’t suffered a 3-putt.

On Saturday he hit eight of nine back-nine greens in regulation. He has not had a six on his card.

“He looks very solid,” Cink said. “He’s definitely controlling his own fate and also mine and the others who are chasing.”

However, Cink’s jaw dropped over Stricker’s 7-under-par 64, which tied the course record and was the best Open round ever here.

“I don’t know what to say about that,” he said.

Jim Furyk lost ground with his 71 and Boo Weekley’s 75 removed him from the picture on a day when 17 players broke 70 – including Tiger Woods, who could only manage 69 and is eight strokes behind Garcia.

Garcia has played in the final group twice before, both times with Woods (2002 U.S. Open, 2006 British). Woods won both times.

“Not having him there doesn’t hurt,” Garcia said, “but I’m concentrating on my game.”

Choi, who was two strokes behind Garcia after Friday, bogeyed 18 when his second shot got wet, and he shot a lackluster 72.

While Garcia was imitating a robot, Els and Broadhurst entertained their gallery in strange ways.

Both drove out of bounds on the par-5 6th, which led to a triple-bogey 8 for Els and a double for Broadhurst.

“I just made a terrible swing,” Els said. He made no more. He birdied five of the remaining 12 holes and wound up with 68 – as did Broadhurst, who eagled the 14th and had two other back-nine birdies.

Each shot four-under-par 31 on the fearsome incoming nine.

“A great start, nightmare middle, dream finish,” Broadhurst said. “I’m wondering who will turn up tomorrow, Paul Broadhurst or his brother.”

If Garcia retains his precision, the whole family can come and it won’t matter.

Asked how it felt to have McGinley in contention with him, Harrington laughed and said, “Maybe the two of us can play better against Sergio. We might catch him that way.”