Anyway, that’s your lot. Please join us again tomorrow for what promises to be, one way or another, a memorable day for Irish golf. Thanks for reading!
-16: Lowry
-12: Fleetwood
-10: Holmes
-9: Koepka, Rose
-8: Fowler, Westwood
-7: Willett, Rahm, Finau, Spieth
-6: Stenson, Noren, Kuchar, Frittelli, Putnam, Smith
-5: Schauffele
Eight birdies, no bogeys for Shane Lowry in his 63 today. A quite sensational performance that could well have won him the 148th Open Championship! He’s so close. He’s got four strokes on his nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood - who let’s not forget shot a magnificent 66 today - and six on third-placed JB Holmes. But there’s many a slip twixt Claret Jug and lip. Twenty years ago, Jean van de Velde shipped a five-shot third-round lead at Carnoustie, and you don’t need me to tell you what happened next. Also, it was only three years ago when Lowry himself went into the final round of the US Open at Oakmont with a four-shot lead, only to blow it, traipsing home with a 76. And who knows what might happen when the forecast rain and wind arrives? So nothing’s certain. BUT if Lowry keeps his head around a course he knows so well, expect an Irishman to be crowned Champion Golfer in Ireland tomorrow evening!
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Lowry speaks! “My mind’s a bit fuzzy! I just really enjoyed today. Obviously I played great golf. The crowd were incredible. I just felt so comfortable out there. I’m hoping I feel that comfortable tomorrow, I’ll have a tough 24 hours ahead. But you know what, there’s nowhere I’d rather be! I’ve got a four-shot lead at the Open Championship in Ireland. Tomorrow’s going to be incredible, regardless of what happens.”
It’s a new course record for Shane Lowry! It’s only - only! - a 63, as his effort to match Branden Grace’s major-championship record of 62, set at the Open two years ago at Birkdale, stops one dimple short of the cup. So close! Par. But so brilliant! An astonishing round that puts him 18 careful holes away from his first major title. JB Holmes makes his birdie putt, meanwhile, and he signs for a decent 69. He’ll be in the penultimate group tomorrow as a result.
-16: Lowry
-12: Fleetwood
-10: Holmes
-9: Koepka, Rose
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Yet another wonderfully controlled iron by Lowry. He swishes it into the centre of the green. He’s pin high, 30 feet to the right. One putt for a 62! Holmes knocks his second to 12 feet or so, but it’s an afterthought for just about everyone in the stand. The crowd give it up for Ireland’s hero as he strides up the fairway, honouring one of the great rounds in Open history. Imagine what it’s going to be like if he closes this out tomorrow!
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Two-putt pars at 18 for Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood. After a one-under 70, Westwood is almost certainly out of it at -8. Fleetwood’s superb 66 ensures he’ll be in the last group, and will have an opportunity to perhaps apply a little matchplay-style pressure to Lowry. But at -12, he’ll be giving up four shots to his opponent from the get-go ... as things stand, anyway. Back down the fairway, Lowry is preparing to launch his last approach of the day into the green.
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Yep, it’s three birdies in a row for Shane Lowry, and suddenly he’s four clear at the top! A birdie up the last, and he’ll equal Branden Grace’s major-championship record of 62. This is an astonishing performance, and the gallery responds in a manner which may cause damage to either the ozone layer or the space-time continuum. Perhaps both. What a round this is!
-16: Lowry (17)
-12: Fleetwood (17)
-9: Koepka (F), Rose (F), Holmes (17)
-8: Fowler (F), Westwood (17)
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Lowry can do no wrong! He bumps a simply sensational wedge at 17 to three feet. He’ll have that putt to go eight under for his round! And for the second hole in a row, JB Holmes sends in a shot that under any other circumstances would look incredibly good, only to find himself upstaged by the hero of the hour. Spooked, he misses his six-foot birdie putt, and drops his putter in impotent frustration. Meanwhile up on 18, a great reception for Fleetwood and Westwood, both on the green in regulation but neither within realistic birdie distance.
Justin Harding’s bid fell apart after the turn. After those back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12, he dropped another strike at 15, and he ended up with a three-over 74. The South African ends the day at -3. His playing partner Cameron Smith also let things slip, following up his excellent eagle-birdie whammy at 12 and 13 with a double at 14. A level-par 71 promised so much more. He’s -6.
Westwood can’t make his birdie putt at 17. Par. Listening to the roar from the 16th, he wears the look of a man who knows the jig is up. Fleetwood’s birdie effort never looks like dropping either. His expression isn’t quite so grim, but he’s not exactly turning cartwheels. Back on the tee, Lowry crashes a huge drive down the left of the fairway. A good chance to get up and down from 60 yards or so.
But Shane Lowry is simply unstoppable! He rolls in his birdie putt, and now he’s got a three-shot lead at the top! If he pars the final two holes, he’ll set a new course record.
-15: Lowry (16)
-12: Fleetwood (16)
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The leaders aren’t finished, though. Lowry arrows one of the tee shots of the day at 16, to 12 feet. Calamity? What Calamity? Holmes finds the centre of the green, a very fine effort by any other metric. But the crowd only have eyes for their man. Up on 17, Fleetwood’s drive bounds down the track, and he wedges to 12 feet to set up a birdie chance. Meanwhile Westwood’s tee shot is pulled into thick nonsense down the left, but a mixture of adrenaline and frustration allows him to power his second into the green and leave a birdie chance of his own!
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... Brooks Koepka follows up birdie at 17 by knocking in his 25-footer on 18! A strong finish that’ll give the four-time major winner a huge boost going into the final round! His partner Justin Rose gets up and down from the swale for his par.
-14: Lowry (15)
-12: Fleetwood (16)
-9: Koepka (F), Rose (15), Holmes (15)
-8: Fowler (F), Westwood (16)
Lowry whips a fantastic second at 15 to 12 feet. Holmes follows him in, albeit with a huge stroke of luck, a pulled approach taking a huge kick off a bank on the left back towards the flag. But Holmes can’t take advantage, missing the birdie chance. No such problem for Lowry, who carefully slides a left-to-right tickler into the cup, and suddenly there’s a little separation at the top of the leaderboard. Which we’ll illustrate in a couple of minutes, because ...
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Justin Rose is furious with himself going up the last. Like McIlroy yesterday, he sends in a draw, and while his ball lands on the green, it’s always going to topple off the left-hand side and down the bank. Brooks Koepka is on in two. If he can sink the 25-footer he’s left himself, he’ll fancy his chances of making up some ground tomorrow.
Westy’s not heading south quite yet! He flips a delicate chip out of the filth and across the 16th green, his ball gently resting next to the hole. He escapes with a par and remains at -8. Fleetwood meanwhile takes his two putts for par. Meanwhile no birdie for Jordan Spieth at the last, and he signs for a 69. At -7, it’s probably not enough ... though the wind will be picking up tomorrow, and you never know how that may pan out.
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The wheels are threatening to come off the Westwood wagon. His tee shot into Calamity dribbles into the thick rough to the right of the green. A tricky up and down coming up. Fleetwood by contrast finds the dancefloor, back left. Not close to the pin, but not miles away either. Safe and sound. He’d take a two-putt par here any time of any day.
While Lowry took advantage of the huge stroke of luck he enjoyed off the tee, Holmes ends up making bogey from the middle of the fairway. He can’t get up and down from sand. And up on 15, I wonder whether the Lee Westwood fairytale has run its course? He nearly sends a tramliner into the cup for birdie, but the ball scoots six feet past, and he pushes the one coming back. A bogey, and suddenly he’s five off the pace.
-13: Lowry (14)
-12: Fleetwood (15)
-9: Rose (17), Holmes (14)
-8: Fowler (F), Koepka (17), Westwood (15)
-7: Willett (F), Rahm (F), Finau (F), Spieth (17)
Spieth makes another birdie, this time at 17. He’s suddenly -7, and another down 18 would ask a couple of questions of the leaders coming in. Not that Lowry or Fleetwood look in the mood to buckle. Fleetwood’s second into 15 kicks off down a bank to the right, but he chips up to four feet and scrambles his par. Lowry does pretty much the same from front-left of 14. This is wonderful golf.
Some of Rose’s good work comes undone at 16, as he yips a short par putt and drops back to -9. Back on 14, Lowry flays a disgrace of a drive deep into Puntersville down the left. He screams “fore!” - Kyle Stanley take note - but it still hits some poor bugger. Fortunately so, for Lowry anyway, as his ball was whistling towards some real nonsense. And now he can knock his second near the green, giving himself a chance of salvaging par. Meanwhile from the centre of the fairway, Holmes pulls his approach into sand on the left. He’s been scrappy for a while, and now he’s beginning to pay the price. Back-to-back bogeys are on the cards for Holmes here.
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A wonderful second into 14 by Fleetwood, straight over the flag. It sets up a 12-foot birdie putt. His effort looks in, but slips by on the right at the last. Then back on 13, JB Holmes finds the heart of the green, overhits his long birdie effort, and can’t tidy up coming back from four feet. He slips back to -10 again. Meanwhile beard enthusiast Roger Kirkby (6.18pm) argues that Henrik Stenson won the Open in 2016 with a beard. You can see his point ... but that’s not a beard. That’s stubble. My blog, my rules. Sorry.
It’s just not happened for Brooks Koepka with the flat stick today. He leaves himself a six-foot par putt on 15, and overhits it through the left-to-right break. Bogey, and at -7 his hopes of a first Claret Jug are beginning to look a little slim. Meanwhile birdie for Tony Finau at the last - chipping in from the swale Rory McIlroy found himself last night - and amid huge cheers he signs for a 68! He’s -7 going into Sunday.
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Poor old Jon Rahm watches in horror as a 25-foot par effort on 18 stops one dimple short of the cup. He waits as long as he can, in the hope of the grass wilting, or a small breeze nudging his ball in, but eventually has to tap home the shortest shot. Even so, that’s a lovely 68. At -7 he’s probably a little too far back, unless the leaders have a collective breakdown coming in. A level-par 71 for Patrick Reed, incidentally, who remains stalled at -4.
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Holmes leaves a chip from the swale a good ten feet short. So he does extremely well to knock in the birdie putt he’s left himself, and keep pace with Lowry, who nearly drains his eagle effort but makes his own bird and regains sole ownership of the lead. Meanwhile Rose blooters a drive down 15 and eases a wedge pin high to eight feet. A great chance to move a little closer to the leading bunch ... and in it goes!
-13: Lowry (12)
-12: Fleetwood (13)
-11: Holmes (12)
-10: Rose (15)
-9: Westwood (13)
-8: Fowler (F), Koepka (14)
Lowry’s second into 12 lands pin high, 30 feet to the left. Holmes hoicks his approach another 20 feet left of Lowry, into a small depression. Meanwhile both Fleetwood and Westwood send their tee shots on the par-three 13th into the heart of the green. They’re not really birdie chances, though, and the pair stay at -12 and -9 respectively. Meanwhile a birdie for Jordan Spieth at 15, and he’s -6, looking to salvage his Open hopes with a strong finish.
Lowry’s drive at the par-five 12th flirts with the big bunker down the right of the fairway. But his ball just evades the camber that’d funnel him into the trap. Holmes larrups one drown the track too. Up on the green, Fleetwood makes a fairly fuss-free birdie to join Lowry in the lead. And you may have noticed Rahm popping up on the leaderboard at -8. That’s thanks to a 15-foot slider holed at 17, his third birdie in four holes. Cameron Smith follows the lead of Justin Rose, making eagle at 12 then birdie at 13. And Brooks Koepka ensures he stays in touch, responding to his first dropped shot in 27 holes by immediately bouncing back with birdie at 14!. This really is magnificent knockabout entertainment!
-12: Fleetwood (12), Lowry (11)
-10: Holmes (11)
-9: Rose (14), Westwood (12)
-8: Fowler (F), Rahm (17), Koepka (14), Smith (13)
Dustin Johnson’s always been just off the pace this week. A bogey at the last, and it’s his second 72 of the tournament, sandwiching yesterday’s 67. He’s -2. Xander Schauffele parred the last couple of holes, ending up with a 69 that promised more. He’s -5. Justin Harding has made back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12 to slip to -5. And an eighth par in a row for JB Holmes, who turns down another birdie chance at 11. He’s still a couple behind Lowry, who pars the hole without too much drama.
-12: Lowry (11)
-11: Fleetwood (11)
-10: Holmes (11)
-9: Rose (13), Westwood (11)
-8: Fowler (F), Rahm (17)
Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren both make it home in 68. They’re both -6 for the week, and aren’t out of this yet. Especially if the leaders come back to them. Meanwhile here’s Roger Kirkby: “With a lot of facial growth on the leaderboard today, and growing up not remembering many winners with a beard, a trivia question for ya. Who was the first guy to win a major after 1960 with a beard?” Funnily enough, I looked into this yesterday afternoon, with reference to the Open anyway. So please let me repeat myself. [cuts, pastes] There hasn’t been a bearded winner of the Open since 1882, when Bob Ferguson took the title at St Andrews sporting an extremely wide goatee. No sides or moustache though, and a lack of hair on the upper lip might irk some purists. So with Willie Park Sr. (1875, Prestwick) similarly disqualified for lack of tache, despite having a dead sheep glued to his chin, we have to go right back to 1867, when Old Tom Morris triumphed at Prestwick with the full Santa arrangement.
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Jon Rahm trundles in a long birdie chance on 16. That follows birdies at 8 and 14, and all of a sudden he’s -7. Andrew Putnam is up there too, with back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13. And Justin Rose whips his tee shot at the par-three 13th to eight feet, and follows up his eagle with birdie. Nothing much was happening for north Hampshire’s finest, but now look! Bogey for his partner Brooks Koepka, though, his first in 27 holes, and he slips to -7.
... Justin Rose rattles in a long eagle putt on 12, while his partner Brooks Koepka finally makes another birdie. The reigning PGA champ has seen a lot of chances shave the hole this week. Pars for the -woods West- and Fleet- on 11, both passing up decent birdie chances.
-12: Lowry (10)
-11: Fleetwood (11)
-10: Holmes (10)
-9: Westwood (11)
-8: Fowler (F), Koepka (12), Rose (12)
But there is a way to get the ball close with the putter! Holmes snakes a delightful putt to six feet, from where he saves par. What a wonderful scramble. But he’s now two off the lead, because Lowry knocks in his birdie effort - no more than the second shot deserved - and the home hero moves clear at the top! Updated leaderboard in a minute, because ...
One of the shots of the day by Shane Lowry! He’s sent his drive into the rough to the left of 10. A spot of trouble. But a little local knowledge goes a long way, and after discussion with his caddie, he powers an iron from 200 yards off the bank to the left of the green, the ball rolling dutifully right to ten feet! That is masterful links golf, and the crowd respond in the manner the shot deserves. Holmes, from the centre of the fairway, seems spooked and sends a hot second over the back of the green. He’s on the fringe, but it’s not clear he has a direct route to the flag because of the green’s undulations. He might have to take a wedge, a la Gary Woodland on 17 at Pebble Beach last month.
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Two putts for Westwood, and it’s his first dropped stroke since the 14th on Thursday. No more than he deserved after the dreadful drive, if we’re being honest. He slips back to -9, two off the lead currently held by Lowry (in the rough back down the hole) and Fleetwood, who arrows in his straight birdie putt!
-11: Fleetwood (10), Lowry (9)
-10: Holmes (9)
-9: Westwood (10)
-8: Fowler (F)
-7: Willett (F), Frittelli (13), Koepka (11)
Westwood drops back in line, and sends his third into the heart of the green. He’ll have an outside chance of saving his par from distance. You’d hope the golfing gods allow him to make it, because he was very honest during a discussion with the rules official. His ball was embedded, which would have allowed him a free drop, but only if he would have played the ball from where it was. He honestly said no, he’d have taken an unplayable, so that took precedence and it meant a one-stroke penalty. Fleetwood meanwhile screeches his second to 12 feet.
Trouble for Lee Westwood at 10, as he sends a slice into a shrub down the left. He’s forced to take an unplayable, his ball snagged under its branches. Up on 18, Rickie Fowler makes par, and he’s home in 31. That’s a 66, and he’s the new clubhouse leader at -8.
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Holmes and Lowry take turns to pepper the flag at 9. But only one man converts his short birdie putt. No prizes for guessing, because you can almost certainly hear the roar from wherever you are around the world.
-11: Lowry (9)
-10: Westwood (9), Fleetwood (9), Holmes (9)
Unhappiness Stan. Here’s our man Ewan Murray on Kyle Stanley’s slightly irritated take on yesterday’s contretemps with Bob-Mac.
Fleetwood’s birdie putt is hellishly fast. And there’s a big right-to-left break. He doesn’t judge either factor with any great skill. He leaves himself a tricky four-foot tiddler coming back. Westwood, from almost exactly the same spot, learns absolutely nothing, his putt ending up right next to his partner’s. Both manage to knock in their nervy par putts, though. And both men hit the turn in 33. Behind them, the other two leaders find the fairway with irons from the tee.
-10: Westwood (9), Fleetwood (9), Lowry (8), Holmes (8)
-8: Fowler (17)
-7: Willett (F), Frittelli (11), Koepka (10), Harding (9)
Garden-variety two-putt pars for the last pair, Shane Lowry and JB Holmes, on 8. Up on 17, Rickie Fowler closes the gap on the leaders by sending his second to eight feet and teasing in a left-to-right breaker. He’s 8. And finally a couple of chances for birdie for Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood, who land their approaches 15 feet past the flag.
A second birdie in three holes for Xander Schauffele. So much good work undone in short order. He’s -5 and desperate for a strong finish to keep his hopes alive. Dylan Frittelli rattles in a long one on 11, and he moves to -7. And a birdie on 9 for Justin Harding. It’s his second in a row, and he’s -7. An impressive comeback in the wake of that double-bogey disaster on 5.
JB Holmes spurns a fantastic opportunity to take the lead on his own. He whips a delicate bunker shot at the par-five 7th to four feet, but pulls at the short birdie putt. Par, a score matched by his playing partner Shane Lowry. Pars for Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood up on 8, too. There’s no splitting these lads up front. Bogey for Tony Finau at 11, meantime, and he slips to -6.
-10: Westwood (8), Fleetwood (8), Lowry (7), Holmes (7)
-7: Willett (F), Fowler (16), Koepka (9)
An impressive 68 for Justin Thomas, though it promised more. He lost his forward momentum after making bogey at 14, and parred his way in from that point. He’s -4. A level-par 71 for his playing partner Robert MacIntyre, who remains at -2. (For the record, Bob-Mac’s philosophical sparring partner, Kyle ‘Fore!’ Stanley, bogeyed 13, 14 and 15 and ended the day down at +2 after a 73.) Meanwhile Brooks Koepka turns in a blemish-free 34. He’s -7.
Willett whip-cracks a stunning iron straight at the flag on 18. He’ll have an uphill look at birdie ... and a course record - from ten feet. That was quite magnificent. But he can’t make the putt, the ball bending off to the left at the last. That’s a wee shame, but you can bet your bottom euro he’d have taken a 65 at the start of Moving Day. He goes into Sunday at -7. Meanwhile Rickie Fowler wedges his second at 15 to six feet, and makes a birdie that takes him to -7. And Tommy Fleetwood, thanks to two big bashes that send his ball to the front edge of the par-five 7th, makes a simple birdie that gives him a share.
-10: Westwood (7), Fleetwood (7), Lowry (6), Holmes (6)
-7: Willett (F), Fowler (15), Finau (10), Koepka (8)
Danny Willett crashes his drive at 18 down the centre of the fairway. If he makes a birdie here, he’ll post a new course record of 64. (Rory McIlroy’s celebrated 61 was on the old configuration of this course.) He’s in the perfect spot to go for it. Par threes for Lowry and Holmes at 6. Trouble for Justin Rose at 8, though: off line with his tee shot, two poor chips, and the bogey takes him back to -6.
While Holmes was scrabbling about, Lowry found the green at 5 in two, setting up a ten-foot birdie chance. In it goes, and he reclaims a share of the lead! A huge roar. Holmes follows him in for par, a fine scramble that’s celebrated by some lovely partisan silence. But there’s another loud whoop over on 17, where Danny Willett chips to four feet and makes his sixth birdie of the day! He rises to -7 and a tie for fifth! But it’s a first bogey since Thursday for Xander Schauffele, at 14, and he slips to -6.
-10: Westwood (6), Lowry (5), Holmes (5)
-9: Fleetwood (6)
-7: Willett (17), Finau (10), Koepka (7), Rose (7)
Holmes takes his free drop at 5, to the left of the scoreboard. But though he’s got an improved lie, he’s still in the cabbage. And there’s that OB just over the green. So it’s no surprise that he doesn’t commit to his chip, and his ball lands apologetically short of the green, still in the thick rough. He clips his second effort very nicely to eight feet, and he’s got a great chance of scrambling par. Meanwhile an easy two-putt birdie for Brooks Koepka on 7; he’s -7.
Lee Westwood: magician. He bashes a delicate chip into the bank front-right of him, sending his ball arcing up onto the green, flying back a little leftwards towards the cup. It gently stops at par-saving distance. His partner Tommy Fleetwood nearly drains a 60-footer for an outrageous birdie. But par will do for him as well. Meanwhile Tony Finau is slowly mooching up the standings. He turns in 33, after birdies at 2, 5 and now 9, the latest reward for an approach sent to ten feet. He’s -7. And it’s back-to-back birdies for Tyrrell Hatton, at 10 and 11, and he’s -6, far from out of this!
Uh-oh, JB. He sends a huge slice into thick filth to the right of 5. As his ball curves hysterically through the air, he must be seriously worried about losing it. But what a huge break! It does indeed land in disgraceful rubbish ... but he’s right behind a scoreboard, so he’ll get relief from there. What could have been disaster appears to have been averted. But there’ll be tricky times for Westwood up on the par-three 6th. He nearly hits the perfect tee shot, straight at the flag. Nearly. But it’s swallowed up by a little run-off which takes his ball down a steep, furry swale. That’d be a tricky chip if the flag was on the other side of the green, but he’s shortsided. God speed, Lee Westwood.
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Fleetwood is the width of a cigarette paper away from eagle on 5. He sends his tee shot just short of the green, then crisply chips up the bank, his ball kissing the left lip but refusing to drop. He taps in for birdie and moves to -9, a shot off Westwood and Holmes’ lead. Westy can only chip up to 20 feet, and he’s left with a putt that breaks violently from left to right. Too much to ask. Just the par. And it’s pars for Holmes and Lowry back on 4.
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Justin Harding’s hot chip at 5 costs him a double. He clatters down the standings to -6. A wonderful fast start was all for nought. “Lee Westwood leading! He couldn’t, could he? Let’s make sure. Someone throw Stewart Cink into the boot of a car and start driving, now!” Hubert O’Hearn there, with advice that comes ten years too late for poor old Tom Watson.
Robert Peston Dylan Frittelli is one of those players at -6. He’s got there in a very roundabout way. Birdie at 2, double at 4, and now an eagle at 7, sending a two-bounce wedge into the cup from 100 yards! Justin Rose meanwhile nearly drains a monster on 6 for birdie but has to settle for a par; he remains at -7.
Disaster for Justin Harding at 5, as his chip into the green takes a flyer. It bounds through the green, and settles in the dry moat running behind. That’s OB. Bogey for Jordan Spieth at 6, and he slips back to -6. But it’s three birdies in a row for Lee Westwood, who splits the fairway at 4, wedges to 15 feet, then rolls in the putt! A fairytale in the making here. Imagine if the eternal bridesmaid finally catches the bouquet!
-10: Westwood (4), Holmes (3)
-9: Lowry (3)
-8: Harding (4), Fleetwood (4)
-7: Schauffele (11), Rose (5)
-6: There are a lot of people at -6
JB Holmes had gone close as well, though. Straight at the flag, leaving a straight six-footer. In goes the birdie effort. Lowry follows him in. This is really special.
-10: Holmes (3)
-9: Westwood (3), Lowry (3)
Rickie Fowler’s stealthy creep up the leaderboard continues apace! It’s back-to-back birdies, the latest at 11, and he’s -6. There’s no bigger student of links golf, and there’d be no more popular winner than the likeable Californian. Well, OK, maybe Shane Lowry has dibs on that. And speaking of the big man ... he lands his tee shot at the par-three 3rd just to the right of the cup. One bounce past, and he nearly spins it back for an ace! He’ll surely make birdie from a couple of feet.
Lee Westwood takes sole ownership of the lead after clacking his tee shot at the par-three 3rd to six feet! What a start for the major-championship nearly man! He’s -9. Though he’s soon joined there by JB Holmes, who sends a delightfully judged putt up the swale and across the warped 2nd green, his ball stopping 18 inches to the left of the hole. Shane Lowry has to make do with par, after chipping up from further out and taking a couple of putts. Meanwhile birdie for Justin Harding, who bundles his second into 4 off the camber to the right of the green, and strokes home a left-to-right putt from eight feet.
-9: Westwood (3), Holmes (2)
-8: Harding (4), Fleetwood (3), Lowry (2)
-7: Schauffele (11), Spieth (5), Rose (4)
Justin Rose with a sensational par save on 4! He’s always out of position, down the left of the hole, but rakes in a 40-footer to remain at -7. That’ll feel nice and tingly, and he celebrates accordingly. Plenty of support from the gallery too. His partner Brooks Koepka misses a 12-footer for birdie. He’s not been confident with the flat stick all week. There was footage of him on the practice green the other day, yipping one from Rory-at-16 distance, suggesting something’s nagging away at him. Could it be his Achilles heel this week? He’s only two off the lead at -6, so probably not.
There’s not been much backwards movement among the leading players. But here’s something: Cameron Smith misses a tiddler on 3 and slips back to -6. Meanwhile neither of the final pair can find the par-five 2nd in two. Both tug their approaches down the swale to the left. Lowry in particular is left with a puzzle, as his ball rolls into a divot amid the semi-rough.
It’s three birdies in four holes for Xander Schauffele. He’s not dropped a shot since Thursday afternoon, and he’s -7. Meanwhile news of Rickie Fowler, who has evaded the radar for most of the week despite plodding along nicely. An early bogey today at 4, but he’s since responded with birdies at 5, 7 and 10, and at -5 is just three off the lead. Birdie at the par-three 3rd for Justin Harding, meanwhile, thanks to a lovely tee shot to ten feet. And nearly an eagle for Lee Westwood at 2! He tidies up for birdie, and joins the leaders! This is such a great leaderboard.
-8: Westwood (2), Fleetwood (2), Lowry (1), Holmes (1)
-7: Schauffele (10), Spieth (4), Rose (3), Harding (3), Smith (2)
-6: Park (14), Willett (13), Stenson (9), Finau (6), Koepka (3)
-5: Fowler (10), Noren (8), Kuchar (7)
The wind that had been forecast simply hasn’t arrived. Hence the birdie blitzes all across the course. Can either of the final pair make one at the opening hole? JB Holmes has apparently quickened up his game since copping for plenty of abuse regarding his glacial pace of play. Apparently. Having failed to get his approach close, he takes an absolute age to work out the long putt, and the speed of his ball matches the speed of his decision-making process. It’s well short. But he rams in a six-footer to scramble his par. Just. His ball thought about staying up for a second there. Lowry, working at ten times the pace, knocks a medium-length birdie putt to kick-in distance. A pair of pars.
Away from the hubbub at the 1st ... hubbub elsewhere! Birdies for Henrik Stenson at 8, Park Sang-hyun at 14, and Tony Finau at 4. All rise to -6. Another one for Justin Thomas, too, and he’s up to -5. And Cameron Smith birdies 2 to join Spieth, Rose and Westwood at -7.
An ovation that would rattle your fillings at the first tee, as Ireland’s Shane Lowry takes to the stage. He sends a slightly nervous iron towards the thick stuff down the right, but the ball takes a kind bounce left and sits up in the semi. JB Holmes splits the fairway with his tee shot. More bedlam. And if the final pairing didn’t already know that things have suddenly got very real, up on the green Tommy Fleetwood begins his charge with an opening birdie, ramming in a right-to-left 20-foot slider. Almost immediately, Southport’s finest grabs himself a share of the lead!
-8: Fleetwood (1), Holmes, Lowry
-7: Spieth (3), Rose (2), Westwood (1)
Another birdie for Danny Willett! His fifth of the day, at the par-five 12th. At -6, he’s just a couple of shots off the lead. Meanwhile birdies for Jordan Spieth at 3, and Justin Rose at 2, whisk that pair up to -7, one shy of JB Holmes and Shane Lowry’s 36-hole mark. And right on cue, here come the leaders. They’ll tee off with the breath of the chasing pack on their necks. A chasing pack that now contains a certain Brooks Koepka, who nearly made eagle at 2.
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Spieth (3), Rose (2), Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Willett (12), Schauffele (8), Frittelli (3), Koepka (2), Harding (1), Smith (1)
A very disappointing back nine carded by Shubhankar Sharma. The young Indian prospect turned in level-par 36, but made five bogeys in the next six holes, and ended up signing for a 77. He clatters down the standings to +6. Not a great day for last year’s final-day hero Eddie Pepperell, either. A hungover 67 gave him the clubhouse lead for a while, and eventually a share of sixth, and there’s a fair chance he’ll be hitting the pop on Saturday evening again. A decent start today, with birdie at 2, but six subsequent bogeys led to a 76. He’s +5.
An’s first slip of the day. A bogey at 9, the result of a yipped tiddler. But he’s still turning round in 33. He’s -5. Heading the other way: Xander Schauffele, who rolls in a 15-footer on 8 for back-to-back birdies. How he’ll wish he configured his driver properly on Thursday morning, before running up that out-of-whack 75. He’s -6. And the Californian is joined there by Jordan Spieth of nearby Texas, who picks up a stroke at the generous par-five 2nd.
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Schauffele (8), Frittelli (3), Spieth (2), Rose (1), Smith, Harding
Dylan Frittelli is bidding to become the first man to win the Open wearing spectacles since Ian Baker-Finch in 1991. (David Duval’s sunglasses in 2001 don’t count.) The 29-year-old South African wears thick brims; imagine a less-flustered version of ITV political editor Robert Peston, and there you have it. Frittelli’s in hot form after winning last week’s John Deere to earn his place here, and he nearly drains a monster eagle putt at 2. He’s so unfortunate as his ball breaks just to the left during the last turn of a 70-foot journey. But he joins the lads at -6.
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An keeps on keepin’ on! He clips his second at the box-fresh 8th straight at the flag, six feet short. In goes the putt, and it’s his fourth birdie of the day. He’s only hit an average of one in three fairways so far! He’s the first player today to join the group at -6. Birdie for Schauffele at 7; he joins the popular -5 gang. And a little more detail on Willett’s birdie at 10: he benefited from a massive break, as he sent his approach towards the grassy banks on the left, only for his ball to twang back into the heart of the green and stop a few feet from the flag. Hey, take your luck when it comes.
Look at this. There are 19 players within three shots of the lead! This Open is almost obnoxiously entertaining. And we’re only just past the halfway mark!
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Smith, Harding, Rose
-5: Park (11), Willett (10), An (7), Stenson (5), Simpson (5), Noren (5), Kuchar (4), Rahm (3), Frittelli (1), Koepka, Spieth, Putnam
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The 2017 PGA champ Justin Thomas is making a serious move today. Another birdie at 8, then he hits the turn in 33. He’s -4. And Danny Willett is going along even better: having also turned in 33, he makes his fourth birdie of the day at 10. He’s -5. It really is all going on.
Alex Noren has started well. Birdies at 2 and 4, and the 37-year-old Swede, who finished in a tie for sixth at Birkdale a couple of years ago, joins the ever-growing group at -5. The latter birdie is seriously fortuitous, as he batters a long putt from the fringe with far too much conviction. Had the hole - and the flagstick - not got in the way, that ball was sailing off the other side of the green. Reward for laser-guided accuracy, I guess, but Noren has the good grace to blow out hard in the theatrical style. He’s joined at -5 by Jon Rahm, who nearly makes an eagle putt from the side of 2, but settles for his par.
Another birdie for Park Sang-hyun! His fourth of the day, thanks to a trundle across 10. He joins the group at -5. As does Matt Kuchar, who nearly chips in for eagle at 2, but birdie will suffice. You could throw a blanket over the top 16. This round is shaping up to be a riot.
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Smith, Harding, Rose
-5: Park (10), An (6), Stenson (4), Simpson (4), Kuchar (2), Koepka, Spieth, Putnam, Frittelli
Dustin Johnson should have back-to-back birdies on his card ... but he doesn’t. After making one at the inviting par-five 2nd, he clips his tee shot at 3 pin high to six feet, as good an effort as we’ve seen today. But he gives the putt a rare old skelp, and the ball trundles through the break. A costly rush of blood. Par, and he remains at -4.
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The 2016 champ Henrik Stenson makes back-to-back birdies! He races in a 40-footer across 3, and makes it up to -5. His partner Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open champion, matches him shot for shot. And they’re both joined at -5 by An Byeong-hun, who solves another putting puzzle at 5. This one is from 20 feet, but over a hump jutting in from the left, causing issues of both line and pace. He solves both as his ball kicks right and drops into the cup at perfect weight. Also: another birdie for Danny Willett, reward for his sending his second shot at 8 to 12 feet and guiding in the gentle right-to-left slider. With the wind down, it’s all happening again!
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Smith, Harding, Rose
-5: An (5), Stenson (3), Simpson (3), Koepka, Spieth, Putnam, Frittelli
-4: Park (9), Willett (8), Schauffele (4), Noren (2), D Johnson (2), Kuchar (1), Van Rooyen, Finau, Bjerregaard, Reed, Rahm
An Byeong-hun had no record to speak of in the majors ... until a tie for 16th at Pebble Beach last month. Full of fresh confidence, the 27-year-old South Korean - a former British PGA champion at Wentworth (2015) - is going along nicely today. He’s followed up birdie at 2 with another at 4, the latter thanks to a 30-foot wonder putt from the fringe at the back of the green, the ball taking a 90-degree right-turn halfway along its route to the cup. He’s -4. Meanwhile birdies for Henrik Stenson and Webb Simpson at 2, and they move to -4 too.
We spoke earlier of 2011 amateur sensation Tom Lewis. Eagle at 2 was soon erased by bogeys at 3 and 6, but the 28-year-old from Welwyn Garden City regained his momentum in style, picking up birdies at 9, 12 and 14 on his way to a fine 68. He’s -2 having made a decent advance up the standings today.
A most pleasing start for the 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett. Birdies at 3 and 5 and he’s currently tied for 20th at -3. Willett was in the final pairing on Sunday in 2015, though weather delays meant that was only the third round. Still, he ended the week tied for sixth, his best performance at the Open. He’s coming off the back of a tie for 12th at last month’s US Open, his highest finish in a major since winning at Augusta, so confidence should be replenished after a couple of barren, injury-hit years. Onwards and upwards!
The wind has dropped, so there should be a concomitant improvement in scoring. Schauffele makes his first birdie of the day at the par-five 2nd, to move to -4. Thorbjorn Olesen rises to -3 after a birdie-bogey-birdie run between 2 and 4. But Thomas Pieters ships a shot at 4 to slip back to -3.
Russell Knox birdies 9 to turn in 34. He’s -3. Birdie for Justin Thomas at 5, his second of the day after 2, and he rises to -3 as well. There was an early birdie for etiquette specialist Robert MacIntyre at 2; the 22-year-old from Oban is -3 overall through 5. And Joost Luiten has just carded three birdies in a row, at 11, 12 and 13, to rise to -3. A fine response to back-to-back bogeys at 9 and 10.
Early birdies for big-hitting Thomas Pieters, at 2 and 3. Belgium’s finest joins late-blooming South Korean Park Sang-hyun, who has birdied 2, 4 and 5, in making inroads at the business end of the leaderboard. Look see!
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Smith, Harding, Rose
-5: Koepka, Spieth, Putnam, Frittelli
-4: Park (7), Pieters (3), Van Rooyen, Finau, Bjerregaard, Reed, Rahm, Kuchar
A brisk start by the 2002 and 2012 champion Ernie Els. Birdies at 2 and 3. Should the veteran triumph tomorrow, he’d break the record held since the 1968 PGA by Julius Boros for oldest major winner. Somebody’s going to do that some day, so why not the Big Easy? Nobody thought he had much of a chance at Lytham seven years ago, either, and look what happened there. Ah bugger, I’ve spoken too soon, he’s just bogeyed 4. Still, he’s -3 and going along nicely. Sorry, Ernie.
Thanks David! Back just in time to see Xander Schauffele tee it up. The 25-year-old from San Diego shot a bogey-free 65 yesterday, more than making up for Thursday’s surprisingly below-standard 75. Turns out he had to turn in his driver earlier in the week, as it didn’t meet with strict R&A regulations. He wasn’t too fond of the first replacement, and his driving accuracy for the first round was miserable, hitting only 43% of fairways, a poor show compared to the field average of 61%. But he tinkered on the range afterwards, and yesterday found a better fit, hitting 93% of the fairways, the best in show, especially when you compare it to the 57% average of the entire field. The ten-shot difference in his two rounds, right there. Anyway, he’s found the fairway with his first drive today, leading to an opening par. More of yesterday’s antics today, and one of the pre-tournament favourites will be right back in it come tomorrow.
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We have another early mover and it’s Korean Park Sang Hyun. The world number 141 honed his links skills over the last fortnight by playing the Irish and Scottish Opens and, despite a pair of missed cuts, three of his four rounds were in the 60s. Three birdies in his first six holes today and he finds himself just four off the lead. The 36-year-old punched his ticket to Portrush after making birdie at six of his final nine holes at the Japan Tour’s Mizuno Open last month.
On that enjoyably obscure fact, I’ll hand you back to Scott Murray!
McDowell brushes in the birdie putt at 18 and, for now, that’s the clubhouse lead of 2-under. A sprinkle of magic at the end to complete an impressive third lap of Royal Portrush. Add that to Shane Lowry’s flying start and Rory’s brave attempt to rise from the dead, and the Irish players have certainly given the home crowd reason to let rip with a few Cheltenhamesque roars.
Lucas Glover, no relation to Brian, is soaring like a kestrel. He makes a third straight birdie, the latest at No.4, to continue his move up the leaderboard and, at -4, the American is just four off the pace. Talking of birdies, a mighty roar for Graeme McDowell as he plonks his approach from the middle of the 18th fairway to four feet. “I don’t think I got it all, go hard”, shouts G-Mac. The ball listens and he’ll have a short putt to sign for a 68 and post -2 in the clubhouse. That’s currently tied 30th.
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Still a little frustrating for the neutral that no-one from the pack has infiltrated page one of the leaderboard. American pair Lucas Glover and Patrick Cantlay could be the first to make inroads as both are -3 for the tournament and -2 for the day after back-to-back birdies at 2 and 3. Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, is enjoying his best season for some time while Cantlay recently moved into the world’s top ten after a thrilling win at the Memorial Tournament. He started the final round there four shots behind the leader but won by two thanks to an 8-under 64 so if you’re scribbling notes next to the runners and riders in the current top 20, pencil in “likes a final-day charge” next to Cantlay.
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Four players shot 6-under 65s in Friday’s second round although, as one of them was Rory McIlroy, only three will get the chance to pull off that most difficult of feats: going low one day and following it up with another good ‘un the next. The three remaining members of the 65 gang are Americans Xander Schauffele and Kevin Streelman, and South African Justin Harding. Streelman is already reeling a little after playing his first eight holes in +2 while Harding and Schauffele, T5 and T18 respectively, are yet to tee off.
We’re often spun the line that starting the last 36 holes seven, eight or even nine shots back at an Open is no impossible hurdle, especially given the vagaries of the British weather. The concept of a weekend charge is compelling but, unfortunately, there’s not a great deal of truth in it. Starting from Tom Lehman’s victory at Lytham in 1996 and there are just two examples of winners starting the final two rounds outside the top 15. Francesco Molinari was tied 29th and six back before coming through to win at Carnoustie last year while David Duval sat tied 35th after two days of frustration at Lytham in 2001 before turning on the afterburners and hoisting the Claret Jug. Duval was seven behind at halfway, as was Ernie Els when Red Rum to Adam Scott’s Crisp, again at Lytham in 2012. Outliers offer hope at least and, as I say that, Justin Thomas (currently seven back) pings a tee shot off the first tee. Could he be this year’s weekend charger?
Still a wee while before Shane Lowry walks on to the first tee (3:50pm) and ramps up the decibel levels. In the meantime, let’s head to stats corner for some clues on how the Irishman might perform today. There are no guarantees – especially in these unique circumstances – but the good news is that Lowry has a strong record as a front-runner. He’s held the 36-hole lead/joint-lead five times in his European/PGA Tour career and never gone on to finish worse than third from such a position. Twice he converted those leads in to silverware, the first in his famous win as a 500/1 amateur in the 2009 Irish Open and the second when going wire-to-wire in this year’s Abu Dhabi Championship. On the other three occasions, he finished just a single shot behind the winner in both the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and Wales Open in 2014 while he ended two back at this year’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in South Carolina after entering the weekend on pole. Yep, he’s made of solid stuff the Irishman. After two days of excellence, there’s good reason to expect continuation not capitulation.
Thanks Scott. Walking Netflix box-set series, Doc Redman, and Kiwi Ryan Fox still have the best rounds going today. Both are 3-under for the day, Redman sitting at 3-under for the championship after seven holes of his third lap and Fox -2 overall after 10 holes. Redman is tied 18th and Fox tied 26th but there’s still a sense that we’re watching the support acts before the headliners come on.
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More essential reading in lieu of serious leaderboard movement. Here’s our man Sean Ingle on how the Open is giving Northern Ireland a good punt up the pound. Clickity click, off you trot. I’m practising what I preach, by the way, because I’m off to read it as well. In the meantime, the loving arms of David Tindall await you. See you again soon!
Other than Doc Redman, who is three under for his round through the first six holes, nobody’s making huge inroads today. The wind’s up, and Portrush is a much more testing proposition. But in any conditions, quality will out, and the defending champion Francesco Molinari creams his second at 14 to 12 inches, and makes birdie. That was a sensational approach at the hardest hole on the course. Much as you’d expect for a man who won his Claret Jug at Carnoustie, the toughest test of all. Though he’ll not be matching Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington as a 21st-century back-to-back winner: he’s +2.
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Another birdie for Portrush hero Graeme McDowell. He follows up the one he made on 11 with another at the par-five 12th. He’s -1, and must be turning over the tatty denouement to his opening round again and again in his mind. That 5-3-5-7 finish cost him five precious strokes, the difference between simply performing at the weekend, and being right in the mix. Still, look at Darren and Rory, it could be a lot worse.
Willebrordus Adrianus Maria Luiten - also known as Joost, to the blessed relief of live bloggers around the world - started out as a ski jumper. But he had a bad fall as a ten-year-old, breaking both elbow and nose, and so transferred his talents to the meat golf. Winter sport’s loss is golf’s gain, and the 33-year-old Dutchman has started out today with birdies at 2 and 5. He’s -2, currently tied for 27th and well placed to beat his Open Championship best finish of tied-44 at Birkdale two years ago.
The Doc is made of the proper stuff. He sends his tee shot at the par-three 6th bounding down a deep swale at the back left of the green. He does pretty well to lob up to 15 feet, though the par putt’s far from certain. But he knocks it in nervelessly. He’s been taking breathing exercises to control the jitters. They seem to be working. He remains at -3, forward momentum brilliantly maintained.
In lieu of Weekend Rory Action ... here’s the story of yesterday’s act of doomed heroism.
Back-to-back birdies for Kevin Kisner. A textbook no-frills amble up the par-five 2nd and he’s -3. Doc Redman opts not to attack the pin at the big-risk-and-reward 5th; he wisely wedges short of the flag, taking the OB behind out of play, and cradles up a putt. Par. He remains at -3 alongside Kisner. And Ryan Fox, who had bogeyed 6 since we last heard of him today, takes the shot back at 8 with a lovely 20-foot right-to-left curler. He’s -1 again.
A birdie for G-Mac on 11. He curls a lovely right-to-left 25-footer into the cup. He’s level par now, in credit for his round today, having earlier birdied 2 and bogeyed 6. The home crowd, momentarily stunned by Rory’s doomed comeback and Darren Clarke’s last-gasp capitulation yesterday, find their voice again. Hear them roar.
Another long putt sunk by the Doc! Redman rattles it in from 30 feet at 4, and that’s three birdies in a row! He’s -3. Last year’s joint runner-up Kevin Kisner opens with birdie to move immediately to -2. And on 5, with the pin tucked towards the back of the green and the wind whipping towards the sea, Kyle Stanley hits an overly aggressive second that rolls through and out of bounds. No spectators standing there, so at least that’s something. He tries again, wedging to 12 feet. Two putts later, that’s a double bogey, and all his early gains have been lost. He’s level par again.
Now then, Doc Redman. Doc’s not a nickname, it’s on his birth certificate. (Dr Golf, a mere fictional confection of the HBH, is beyond jealous.) Redman’s parents were certainly creative; his sister is called Karma. Anyway, the 21-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina looks the real deal. He’s been playing since the age of three, golf one of his two passions along with calculus. He’s been known to hit over a thousand putts a day to groove in his stroke; how many equations he solves per week isn’t on record. Anyway, Redman shot 62 in a qualifier to reach the recent inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic, then went on to grab second place and with it a spot in the Open. He’s admitted to suffering from nerves in the past, most notably when he teed it up at the Masters last year, missing the cut, but he’s looking in control this week. Back-to-back birdies this morning at 2 and 3, the latter the reward for a 40-foot tramliner, and he’s -2.
Now Stanley does extremely well to get up and down from the bottom of a bank at the par-three 3rd, after a weak tee shot. A decent chip up to 15 feet, then a brilliant putt to scramble. He remains at -2. Meanwhile birdies at 2 for a couple of English stars in Eddie Pepperell and Paul Casey, both men rising to -1. And it’s a fast start by this week’s record breaker, Ryan Fox. The Kiwi played the back nine in 29 strokes on Thursday, the best figures in Open history. Now he’s opened today with birdies at 2 and 5. He’s -1. Just to say, he could go on to birdie 6, 8 and 9, and eagle 5, and even then he’d be a shot shy of Denis Durnian’s front-nine Open record of 28, set at Birkdale in 1983. But one rewriting of the history books is enough, let’s not get greedy.
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Philosophy corner. Yesterday’s dialectical discourse between Robert MacIntyre and Kyle Stanley - in which the young Scot posited a thesis suggesting it’s advisable to shout “fore!” when you spray a shot towards the gallery, the American reacting with an antithesis of “bugger off”, synthesis as yet unpublished - seems to have lit a fire under the latter. Stanley very nearly makes eagle at 2, but settles for a kick-in birdie that whisks him up to -2. He’s now in a tie for 25th, just six shots off the lead jointly held by JB Holmes and Shane Lowry. It’s a bunched leaderboard all right.
But here’s another: Benjamin Hebert birdies 2 to rise to -1 for the championship. The 32-year-old Frenchman - it’s the 20th anniversary of Jean van de Velde’s heroic failure, by the way - is in hot form. He qualified for the Open only last week, after shooing a final round of 62 at the Scottish Open to make a play-off with Bernd Wiesberger. He lost that face-off at the third extra hole, but it meant he was teeing it up at the Open for only the second time. He missed the cut at Birkdale in 2008, shooting 79-73 as an amateur. This time he’s going along very nicely. Throw in the biggest paycheck of his career last week, and it’s been a fine few days for M. Hebert.
Birdie for Stanley on 1! Go Kyle! Go Kyle! A lovely 20-footer rolled across the green after a pin-high approach. He moves into red figures at -1. Stanley hasn’t done much in the majors; the 31-year-old from Washington state’s best finish is a tie for 21st at this year’s Masters. He’s probably more famous for his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Phoenix Open in 2012, making up eight shots in the final round to win, a week after shipping a six-shot final-round lead of his own at the Farmers Insurance Open. Only in sport, huh. Sadly the aforementioned Tom Lewis follows up his eagle at 2 with bogey at 3, and slips back to level par. So now Stanley is the only one of the morning starters in red figures for this year’s tournament.
A warm reception on the first tee for Kyle Stanley. Whether he deserves such blanket respect may be a moot point, given he fired two shots into the gallery yesterday, failing to shout fore on both occasions. His second wild one hit the mother of playing partner Robert MacIntyre’s caddie, leading to a full and frank exchange of views in the scorer’s hut later on. Maybe it was just a momentary lapse of judgement on Stanley’s part; we all have off days. Hopefully he’ll learn from it. However, it’s a good sign for Scottish golf, so long in the doldrums, that the 22-year-old prospect from Oban has the nerve to stand his ground with an established pro during his rookie season on Tour.
It’s been a long time since Tom Lewis made a name for himself by leading the Open as a 20-year-old amateur. That was 2011, when he shot an opening 65 at Sandwich, the lowest round by an amateur in Open history. It made him the first amateur to lead the Open since the renowned Michael Bonallack managed it back in 1968. One of Lewis’s playing partners that day was the five-time winner Tom Watson, after whom he was named. Lewis finished the week tied 30th as low amateur, the Silver Medal hanging around his neck. Such a shame one won’t be awarded this week, with no amateur making the cut. Anyway, Lewis has since turned pro, with a couple of victories on the European Tour to his name, both at the Portugal Masters, in 2011 and 2018. He’s belatedly delivering on his early promise, with a notable upturn in form during the last couple of years. And he’s eagled 2 this morning, sending a magnificent second shot to four feet, to become the first of the early starters to make it into red figures. He’s -1 for the tournament.
While we wait for folk to get properly moving on Moving Day ... here’s a typically illuminating piece from our man Andy Bull on golf in Northern Ireland during more uncertain times.
Good morning Ulster. News to follow, but let’s start with the weather. It’s a lovely sunny day on the Antrim coast. The beautiful Dunluce links of Portrush shining in all its glory and splendour. It looks as though the sun will be out for most of the day. Some cloud in the afternoon perhaps. And there’s not a huge likelihood of rain. If we get any, it’ll be later in the afternoon and/or early evening, and not particularly heavy. But while Portrush’s defences were totally down yesterday, the conditions still, the breeze is expected to pick up today. Gusts of up to 25mph at some points. As a result, the chances of a repeat of round two’s across-the-board low scoring aren’t super-high. Then again, these are the world’s top golfers we’re talking about. Also, Shane Lowry was out in the worst of yesterday’s weather, and he still went out in 31. So let’s assume nothing. Onward!
Preamble
If the first two days of the 148th Open Championship are anything to go by, the weekend is going to be a heady Portrush rush. Look at the drama we’ve already been served up: a hole-in-one for Emiliano Grillo; a nonuple-bogey 14 for David Duval; a record-breaking back-nine 29 for Ryan Fox; an opening quadruple-bogey for pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy, who’d go on to miss a putt from 12 inches on his way to a 79; a 78 for Tiger; a triple-bogey capitulation at the 18th that cost local hero Darren Clarke his weekend participation; an Irish charge by Shane Lowry; the late-career renaissance of Lee Westwood; and 65s for Xander Schauffele, Justin Harding and ... Rory McIlroy, who fell one stroke short of a comeback for the ages.
And there are still two whole days to go! With so many big names on the shoulder of leaders Shane Lowry and JB Holmes, today won’t just be about moving. The way things have been going, it’ll also feature some grooving, shaking, rattling, rolling, bumping, grinding, twerking, the twist, the hitchhike, the watusi and the mashed potato. The only downside is the lack of a Silver Medal battle, no amateurs having survived the cut. Ah well, we can’t have it all. It’s still on. Moving Day is on. It’s on!
-8: Holmes, Lowry
-7: Fleetwood, Westwood
-6: Smith, Harding, Rose
-5: Koepka, Spieth, Putnam, Frittelli
-4: Van Rooyen, Finau, Bjerregaard, Reed, Rahm, Kuchar
-3: Hatton, D Johnson, Noren, Simpson, Stenson, Schauffele, Fowler
-2: An, Sabbatini, Pieters, Olesen, Els, Fitzpatrick, MacIntyre
Missing the cut (a selection): Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker, Beef, Padraig Harrington, Gary Woodland, Hideki Matsuyama, Kim Si-woo, Zach Johnson, Paul Lawrie, Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, David Duval (well, y’know) and ... Rory McIlroy.
Today’s tee times: (all BST)
9.35am: Paul Waring
9.45am: Francesco Molinari, Jason Kokrak
9.55am: Graeme McDowell, Bubba Watson
10.05am: Charley Hoffman, Ashton Turner
10.15am: Yosuke Asaji, Andrew Wilson
10.25am: Yuki Inamori, Matt Wallace
10.35am: Nino Bertasio, Tom Lewis
10.45am: Adam Hadwin, Ryan Fox
11am: Innchoon Hwang, Benjamin Hebert
11.10am: Paul Casey, Kyle Stanley
11.20am: Eddie Pepperell, Doc Redman
11.30am: Kevin Streelman, Joost Luiten
11.40am: Shubhankar Sharma, Louis Oosthuizen
11.50am: Stewart Cink, Callum Shinkwin
12pm: Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner
12.10pm: Bernd Wiesberger, Russell Knox
12.20pm: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Mikko Korhonen
12.35pm: Sergio Garcia, Branden Grace
12.45pm: Romain Langasque, Sang Hyun Park
12.55pm: Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover
1.05pm: Danny Willett, Aaron Wise
1.15pm: Justin Thomas, Robert Macintyre
1.25pm: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ernie Els
1.35pm: Thorbjorn Olesen, Thomas Pieters
1.45pm: Rory Sabbatini, Byeong Hun An
1.55pm: Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele
2.10pm: Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson
2.20pm: Alex Noren, Dustin Johnson
2.30pm: Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Kuchar
2.40pm: Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed
2.50pm: Lucas Bjerregaard, Tony Finau
3pm: Erik van Rooyen, Dylan Frittelli
3.10pm: Andrew Putnam, Jordan Spieth
3.20pm: Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose
3.30pm: Justin Harding, Cameron Smith
3.40pm: Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood
3.50pm: Shane Lowry, JB Holmes
