Lee Westwood more than lived up to the old adage that it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.The former world number one produced one of the greatest displays on a back nine in Open Championship history to avoid an alarming slide down the leaderboard.Westwood went from agony to ecstasy on Saturday at PortrushAFP via GettyWestwood opened his third round with scores of par on the first two holes.However, the 52-year-old carded three bogeys as well as a double bogey across the next seven holes to leave him sitting precariously at four-over for the round at the halfway mark having scored 40, with a birdie on the seventh the only bright spot.Despite his poor display on the front nine, Westwood flicked a switch at the halfway mark and turned into a world-beater.A birdie on the tenth proved to be the launchpad for a remarkable turnaround for Westwood.Two birdies on the 11th and 12th followed as he found his groove.Westwood was not done there, as he recorded three more birdies on the 14th, 15th and 17th.It meant Westwood finished with a score of 29 on the back nine.The seven-time Ryder Cup champion’s final score equalled Ryan Fox’s effort in 2019 for the lowest back nine score ever recorded in a round at the Open.Coincidentally, both Westwood and Fox’s efforts took place at Portrush.Westwood almost had sole ownership of the record, but his putt on the 18th cruelly lipped out as he had to settle for par.The 52-year-old had every right to be all smiles following his back nine displayGettyOverall, Westwood finished with a score of two-under for the third round and five-under for the entire tournament.Speaking to Sky Sports after his historic third round, Westwood said: “Let’s forget the front nine and move straight to the back nine.“I was hitting some good shots towards the end of the front nine and starting to get the feel of it.“I rattled off three birdies in a row at 10, 11 and 12, that gave me a bit more confidence.“I stiffed it on 15, holed a nice putt on 17 and then don’t know how it’s missed at the last.”Westwood’s score of five-under left him in an eight-way tie for 14th going into the final round at Portrush on Sunday.Westwood has work to do if he is to climb up the leaderboard on SundayGettyHowever, Westwood will need to recreate the magic of his back nine performance if he is to rocket into contention as Scottie Scheffler sits atop the leaderboard on 14-under for the tournament.The American holds a six-stroke lead over local hero Rory McIlroy, who goes into Sunday on eight-under and is tied for fourth.McIlroy began his third round in blistering fashion with three birdies from the opening four holes.But it was a bizarre incident on the 11th that made headlines.McIlroy found himself in the rough following an errant tee shot and looked to get on the green with his next effort.But the moment he struck his own ball, a second one embedded beneath the surface emerged out of nowhere.