Sergio Garcia thanked the crowd for remembering him as he played his third round at the Open alongside impressive British fan favourite Andrew Johnston.
The Spaniard, who held onto a top-10 spot despite slipping back to two under with a 73, watched at close hand as Johnston thrilled the crowd.
Johnston, known affectionately as 'Beef', moved up towards the top of the leaderboard with a 70 that included a brilliant chip-in at the 13th that brought up a huge roar.
Asked if such an atmosphere made it difficult for him, Garcia said: "No, not at all. I got my cheers too. They love me here, so obviously he was pushed hard by the crowds, but so was I.
"I've always loved this tournament, and I can't thank the people enough that follow me here and the way they cheered me on."
Garcia, a two-time Open runner-up, knows that his chances of challenging the leaders Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson for the title are now probably gone.
But he has no thoughts of giving up the fight and intends to put up a good show on Sunday.
The 36-year-old said: "I'm still going to go out there and try to play the best I can, try to shoot a good score and see where that puts me.
"Obviously winning is great, but it's not the only thing. I'd rather finish fifth or third or sixth than 15th or 20th. So that's what I'm going to try to do."
Source: PA
