Twenty-nine majors, or 2,898 days, have come and gone for Rory McIlroy since he lifted the US PGA Championship trophy at Valhalla. Just after a quarter past seven on the third day of this, the 150th Open, McIlroy jumped to the top of the leaderboard. He will start the fourth round tied for that position and, more importantly, 18 holes shy of Seve Ballesteros’ major victory.
The Spaniard would certainly approve of McIlroy claiming the number five spot at St Andrews. In nearly eight, sometimes painful years, McIlroy has never come closer to achieving such a feat. He has never looked more capable of achieving it. Yet the 33-year-old will know – all too well – the tough yards ahead of him. In Victor Hovland, who shares a 16-under par with McIlroy, the Northern Irishman has a formidable opponent. The duo traded blows like superstar boxers on the third day here. The pairing of 66s seemed perfectly fitting as McIlroy and Hovland separated themselves from the field.
Not that it would be wise to completely dismiss all contenders. The scale of Hovland and McIlroy’s brilliance simply made an alternate champion difficult to predict. Cameron Young and Cameron Smith are closest to the leaders at 12 under. Kim Si-woo is just behind, along with world No. 1 Scotty Scheffler. Kim’s 67 was the lowest third-day score in this group.
If McIlroy emerges victorious, thoughts will turn to the pivotal moment of the third round. A bunker shot of about 30 yards is considered the hardest in golf. What a mockery was made of that concept on the 10th where he holed out for eagle. What’s up with McIlroy and major championship sand traps? He jumped for joy at Augusta National after finding the bottom of the cup on the 72nd hole from a greenside bunker. In Fife, McIlroy received a standing ovation.
Hovland had flown out of the traps. The Norwegian birdied four in a row from the No. 3 spot. McIlroy, who missed opportunities, was the man under pressure. His response, thanks to birdies at the 5th, 6th and 9th before heroics at the 10th, was that of a champion. Hovland and McIlroy were now tied at 15 under.
McIlroy’s subsequent advantage gained on the 14th was reversed on the penultimate hole. Hovland expertly saved steam from a road. McIlroy, whose second shot was long enough to leave just enough room to swing against the perimeter wall, couldn’t score better than five. Both players eventually birdied, the scale of mutual appreciation of what had transpired over the previous four and a quarter hours becoming abundantly clear.
Victor Hovland weighs in during his impressive third round. Photo: Robert Perry/EPA
Dustin Johnson, the LIV rebel most likely to win the Open, reached 12 under after a dozen holes. He was three off the lead. Bogeys on the 13th, 14th and 16th halted his charge. The former world number 1 birdied at the end after a top drive, but at 10 under requires snooker.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick sit on nine under. Fleetwood carded a 66. Tyrrell Hatton started the day at minus eight but fell to 73. Hatton watched the slow play of his partner Taylor Gooch with murderous intent.
It could prove to be a weekend to remember for Filippo Celli, the Italian amateur who finds himself in pole position for the silver medal. Celli is four under after a 71. He has his eyes on a bigger prize in September in his homeland. “I hope that I am the Italian who will play in the Ryder Cup in Rome,” said Celli. “Would be great.”
Shane Lowry chipped in for eagle on the 9th before repeating the feat on the next hole. Such a scenario has not happened at the Open since 2001. Lowry had reached nine under par at that point, meaning his seven-under at the end of the game was a disappointment. The 2019 champion believes he has “no chance” of a second Open win.
“I felt like through the middle of the front nine I was just going okay, not doing anything great,” Lowry explained. “Obviously 9 and 10 happened and I felt like I was in the tournament.
“I’m pretty annoyed and pretty angry, to be honest. I keep telling myself and I keep telling myself all the time that you want to get to the back nine on Saturday with an opportunity to do something great. I got there today and didn’t participate. So that’s very disappointing.”
Jordan Spieth’s 68 moved him to eight under. “I’ll probably take an ice bath tonight,” he said. “The ice baths are a lot harder in Scotland than in Memphis.” Spieth is lucky that he only visits these shores in the summer.
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“I need some crazy monsoon to come tomorrow to have a chance,” Spieth added. “Even if I shoot eight under, I still think I lose by more than three. I’m in a position where shooting seven or eight under would mean a really strong finish and I’d get a lot of momentum. There will be no “opt out”. It’s not like I’m 45.”
Xander Schauffele made eagle at the end, but two sixes on the back nine had already put paid to his chances. Schaufele sits at minus five. Jon Rahm and Will Zalatoris are in the same band. Justin Thomas’ birdie three on the 17th at 3:15 p.m. was the first of the day on this famous hole that played more like a par five. McIlroy and Hovland, Ryder Cup teammates, reached this point while still in the midst of open warfare. It was the most exciting sports theater.
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