-16 R McIlroy (NI), V Hovland (Nor); -12 C Smith (Aus), C Young (USA); -11 S Scheffler (USA), SW Kim (Kor) Selected: -10 D Johnson (USA); -9 T Fleetwood (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), A Scott (Aus); -8 J Spieth (USA); -7 S Lowry (Ire), T Hatton (Eng); -6 B DeChambeau (USA); -5 I Poulter (Eng) Full Ranking
Rory McIlroy and Victor Hovland lead by four shots in the final round of the 150th Open after a brilliant duel over the Old Course.
The Ryder Cup teammates delighted the St. Andrews crowd as they both shot six-under 66s to take a 16-under lead.
McIlroy, trying to end an eight-year major drought, holed a bunker shot for eagle two on the par-four 10th but had his lone bogey on the 17th.
Cameron Smith and Cameron Young are tied for third at 12 under par.
Overnight leader Smith, who led by two at the start of play after a troubled game on Friday, bogeyed the first, missing three feet for par and that set the tone for the Australian, who carded a 73 and was one of only two players in the top 20 to shoot above par
A run of seven pars followed his early bogey, sending him down the leaderboard as those around him made birdies and eagles in the most favorable conditions of the week.
Hovland, who has yet to win one of golf’s biggest prizes, hit the early shots with a run of four birdies at the third to move to 14 under, but McIlroy – a four-time major winner – hit back with three of his own ninth.
That brought the Northern Irishman level with Smith and put him one behind Hovland.
But a sensational 10th hole saw the world number two, who won the title in 2014, reach the top of the rankings.
McIlroy visited the sand for the first time this week with an errant putt. He pulled his ball back several times before settling in and hitting the perfect shot, his ball landing a dozen feet from the pin and rolling in. The cheers that greeted her startled world number one Scotty Scheffler, who was about to tee off on the adjacent par-three 11th.
“The eagle was a bonus, but I was quite proud that I kept my composure over the next few holes, didn’t miss a putt or get ahead of myself and played well throughout,” the 33-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live.
When the eagle fell, Hovland smiled, as Hovland does. The 24-year-old world No. 9 rallied to two-putt from the front of the green for birdie. The pair locked up 15 under.
They would stay that way for three holes, breaking the tension with laughter and banter as they waited for the 12th tee. McIlroy said earlier in the week that it takes “boring golf” to win a major. para. para. para.
Until the 14th. The longest hole on the course. Hovland just short at two. McIlroy turned the screw, driving an iron into the heart of the green. A two-putt birdie put the pressure on the Norwegian. Three strikes. para. The roars grew louder as they headed back towards the city.
“I definitely appreciate the support,” McIlroy said. “I feel it there, but I just have to stay in my own little world. I’ve done well for three days, so I just have to do it one more day.”
Smith, meanwhile, was melting on the 13th. With his feet in a bunker and the ball at waist height, he attempted the kind of shot that only Seve Ballesteros could pull off. A wild blow led to new problems. The world number six again tried to move his ball towards the green. He went left and a double bogey six was marked on the card as he dropped to 11 under.
From three behind, McIlroy was now five clear of Smith, who knows how to win on the big stage after winning the PGA Tour’s premier Players title in March.
Smith’s partner Cameron Young played solidly, the American birdieing the two par-five holes and the short par-4 ninth and 10th to keep the leaders in sight at 14 under after 14. But a terrible chip over the green on the 16th resulted in a double bogey.
Up front, McIlroy and Hovland followed each other to the back of the green on the treacherous par-4 17th.
McIlroy’s chip from near the wall crept toward the green, but the 24-foot par putt drifted 6 inches wide.
Hovland picked a shot from the gravel fairway and chipped his ball to four feet and holed out for par, his eighth straight.
“That was a lot of fun. To shoot a major’s bogeys in those conditions was pretty special,” Hovland told the BBC.
Once again locked at 15 under, McIlroy’s mantra of “boring golf” winning majors rings true.
And it became a 16 three shots later on the 18th, a hole that ranks as the easiest on the course, almost guaranteeing a birdie.
Except for Smith and Young, whose rounds ended in sloppy pars.
Others challenged briefly but then tripped over the closing holes. Scheffler improved from eight under to 12 under with a birdie at the 11th, while Dustin Johnson also reached that mark at the 10th.
However, Scheffler putt back on the 12th and dropped another on the 17th before birdieing and finishing 11 under after a three-under 69 – the same score as South Korea’s Kim Si-woo, who had a 67.
That was one better than Johnson, who had three bogeys on the back nine when he carded a 71.
The English challenger sit seven back. Tommy Fleetwood had a better day with a 66 to move to 9 under, while US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick’s 69 took him to the same total.
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