If we were to take Scottie Scheffler out of the equation, then we would have a fascinating final round to enjoy at Royal Portrush.
As things stand the three-time Major champion sits four clear of Haotong Li, with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton in a share of fourth place.
It almost seems unthinkable that Scheffler won’t add the Claret Jug to his CV but it’s a big one, it’s a rugged links test and the 29-year-old is yet to challenge in the game’s oldest Major.
This was a day for the ages in many ways, it’s not often that we’ve seen Portrush in the sunshine and McIlroy was doing his bit, making birdies and holing putts from everywhere, but Scheffler was unsurprisingly up to the task of everything.
Winners
Scottie Scheffler
Where better to start? There are many ominous aspects to Scheffler’s four-shot lead but one was that he didn’t drop a shot all day. The PGA champion has had just three bogeys this week and a third straight two at the 16th took him to 14-under and in the perfect position to lock up a third leg of the career Grand Slam.
Scheffler actually took a while to extend his lead but an eagle at the 7th and a birdie at the next put some distance between him and the field and he would continually save par whenever he found himself out of position.
“I had a really good par save on 11, really good par save on 14 and I did some good stuff. I was pretty patient most of the day but felt like I was hitting it really nice. Just sometimes Major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few.
“It would be nice, but I’m not going to be thinking about that (the Grand Slam) tonight. I’m going to be going home, trying to get some rest and get some recovery and then get ready.”
Haotong Li
In 2023 Li would miss 20/22 cuts on the DP World Tour with a stroke average of 74 and, for six months, he actually gave up the game.
On Sunday he will tee it up in the final two ball of The Open alongside the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The Chinese star, third at Birkdale in 2017 but he’s missed his last three Open cuts, was round in 69 to sit four back of the American. This was a day that Li could easily have slipped away with something in the low 70s but he was well up to the task – he has only had three bogeys all week – and he’ll have the round of his career on Sunday.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy finally got to experience what an Open weekend at Portrush felt like as he fired it round in 66 shots to move into a share of fourth. There was a bit of everything; a ridiculous opening birdie for the second day running, an old ball popping up after his approach to the 11th and a 56-footer at the next for a deafening eagle.
In the end it meant that he will tee it up six shots behind Scheffler but it was still a remarkable day around the Dunluce Links.
“It was incredible. It was so much fun. I got off to the perfect start, 3-under through 4. Then to play those last seven holes at 3-under I thought was a good effort. I rode my luck at times, but yeah, it was an incredible atmosphere out there. I feel like I’ve at least given myself half a chance.
“The 12th could be one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had on the course. The roar when this ball was in was insane. It was insane all day, but the noise after that putt went in was incredible.”
Lee Westwood
In a remarkable back nine Westwood did what only one player had ever managed before in an Open Championship. The 52-year-old had halves of 40-29 to give himself a great chance of a top-10 finish and a return for a 29th Open.
The Worksop star was four over after six but six birdies coming home fired him up the leaderboard.
“I just started making good swings from 7 in really. Then I was looking at wow, I feel like I could birdie every hole. Just shows you you’ve got to be patient and never give up, right? Stick at it. I just kept writing down a lot of threes on my scorecard and I was like, this is going well. I didn’t even know what I needed coming down the last.”
Westwood is leading the driving stats, picking up more than six shots on the field, and his whole game has taken on a recent upturn as he looks to lock up a place inside the top 10.
“I’ve got some good swing thoughts at the moment throughout any game. I’ve got some good swing thoughts on my long game, good on my short game and bunker play. And on the greens, the putting, I feel like I’m starting it on line with some nice pace.”
As for the spark that got him going we can thank his caddy (and wife) for that.
“On the 10th tee it was the key one: Do you want half a tuna sandwich? If you start appealing to my stomach, then there’s only one way for me. That’s that way.”
John Parry
Not too long ago Parry was playing on the mini tours, now he’s truly got his game back. His second win on the DP World Tour last December came 14 years after his first, now he’s threatening in just his fifth Major start.
The Englishman, playing with ’97 champ Justin Leonard, was already going along nicely to get to two-under after 12 but then he knocked an 8-iron in at the short 13th for the Championship’s first hole-in-one – and ‘about 10’ in total for Parry.
“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. I hit a really good shot for once so it was quite nice. I knew I had a big window to land the ball in. It was either going to pitch short and hit the downslope and feed down, it went in a bit stronger than I thought it would from that distance for what club I hit but I felt like it was going to be close,” explained the 38-year-old.
“It’s one of them where you can almost get a bit carried away and then it goes a bit downhill. I was back to reality because I think the 14th is the probably the hardest hole on the course, so it was back to grinding it out.”
Parry would par 14, birdie 15 and drop his only shot at 18 for a 67 and three-under total.
Xander Schauffele
Defending champion Schauffele was in danger of missing the cut playing the tricky 11th on Friday. Then he was one over, now he’s up to -7.
On Saturday the American, who hasn’t finished higher than eighth this season, had two eagles and two birdies to continue his steady progression this week – 71-69-66. The highlight came with a 45-footer on the 12th.
“It was just one of those putts that you’re trying to get within three to five feet. There’s been some diabolical pin locations this week, and that was one of them. It’s a very gettable par 5 with it being sort of helping off the left. But it was nice to see a long putt go in. I think it was my first long one of the week,” the 31-year-old said.
He now sits on -7 but he’s not expecting much chance of becoming the first player to defend an Open title since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08.
“I needed three more to feel like I’m somewhere close enough to whatever Scott or Fitzpatrick or Haotong are going to post. Chasing is difficult when you’re on a links course with weather and wind and bounces. I feel like I’ve been in chase mode all year, which it is what it is.”
Justin Rose
For anyone who has played the game a shank is the most unsettling shot you might hit. Rose hit one on the 8th and another three holes later – both came from the rough and both elicited a startled response from the player.
But both also resulted in just a pair of bogeys as the Englishman battled away and back-to-back birdies, including a 50-footer across the final green, gave him an eight-birdie 68. We all know Rose is a classy act but this was some effort, to keep hitting the shots when he’s located the hosel more than once.
Losers
Brian Harman
The 2023 Open champion began the third round just two off the lead, he finished it with a 73. In the leading 33 players Harman had the highest score and he never really recovered from a double-bogey at the 1st where he left his bunker shot in the sand.
There were four birdies but Harman will now begin the final round in a tie for 9th and a whopping eight shots adrift of his Ryder Cup team-mate.
Wyndham Clark
The 2023 US Open champion shot a five-under 66 at Royal Portrush on Saturday. There were five birdies, no dropped shots and it was comfortably his best round in the Open. Yet he still chose not to speak to the media afterwards which isn’t going to help his cause much after smashing his locker in at the US Open at Oakmont.
It’s understandable to decline your media duties, as tortuous as a few minutes behind a microphone might be, after a 77. A 66 and the opportunity to go on a charm offensive would have been a move forward again for Clark.
Shane Lowry
Lowry has endured a pretty miserable 24 hours at Portrush. Last night he was handed a two-shot penalty to turn a 70 into a 72. Now he’s struggling with a virus as he battled his way to a third-round 74 – the 2019 champion was actually under par for his round after 13 holes but then trebled 14 and bogeyed 17 to fall well away.
“I haven’t eaten today. I tried to get a protein drink down me after eight holes, and I felt like throwing up all over the place. Honestly, every bathroom I went in and tried to throw up, I couldn’t. I woke up at 2:30 with cramps in my stomach, we have it in the house. Ivy had it a couple of days ago, Wendy had it yesterday. Me and Iris have it today. It’s just such a bad feeling. I think lack of energy towards the end maybe did me in but I’m not going to make excuses. I played poorly and obviously had a bad finish.”
Tommy Fleetwood
The last five holes are never going to throw up too many chances but Fleetwood’s chances were sunk when he played them in a couple over.
Second here last time and talked up in the build-up, Fleetwood eagled the 2nd and was out in 33. Then there was another birdie at the par-5 12th to get to five-under and, with Scheffler yet to make his move, there looked to be a chance to get within a handful of shots but 14 and 16 saw a pair of dropped shots.
“I felt like walking off the (12th) green, I was 5-under for the tournament but felt like I could have been two or three better at that point as well. That was with a couple of mistakes.
“I had a really good round going and would have liked to have got more and then just disappointing finish. A couple bad shots, a couple mistakes, and overall sort of left feeling a bit annoyed or dejected or disappointed, whichever way you put it. But it wasn’t a bad round, it just wasn’t what we needed.”
In the end it added up to a 69 when most of us were crying out for something in the mid 60s.
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Article Link: Scottie Scheffler declared early winner at The Open as lousy Lowry flops