The nervous tension was all too obvious today. All three of the leaders had a wobble: Collin Morikawa at the start, Louis Oosthuizen in the middle, Jordan Spieth at the end. All three ended the round where they started it, in positions one, two and three. So much for Moving Day, huh? Well, tell that to Corey Conners, whose 66 catapulted him towards the top of a high-quality leader board. Good luck picking a winner from this lot. Hope you’ll join us for the dramatic denouement tomorrow. Thanks for reading this blog. Nighty night!
-12: Oosthuizen
-11: Morikawa
-9: Spieth
-8: Conners, Scheffler
-7: Rahm, Hughes, Frittelli
-6: Smith, Harding, Siem
-5: Streelman, Simpson, Berger, Lowry, Casey, Sullivan
-4: MacIntyre, Kokrak, Dahmen, Willett, Tringale, Grillo, Johnson
Collin Morikawa’s birdie putt is always staying out on the high side. He taps in for his par, and that’s a fine 68 pieced together after a sluggish start. He doesn’t have a share of the lead, but at -11 he’s in the final match tomorrow.
-12: Oosthuizen (F)
-11: Morikawa (F)
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Louis Oosthuizen is left with a monster putt over the hump to the right side of the green. He lags up beautifully, and that’s par, and a one-under 69. Despite negotiating a rocky road back home this evening, he’ll either be leading or have a share of the lead going into the final day of the Open. He’s -12.
Morikawa has rediscovered his iron mojo all right. He swishes his second straight at the flag, the ball handbrake-turning to a halt six feet behind the flag. Oosthuizen only just finds the front of the green, and whether that’s a mishit or a miscalculation, the end of this third round can’t come too quickly for the 2010 champion. Both of these magnificent players then receive the ovation they deserve as they make their way to the green. What bedlam! What we’ve missed! Imagine what it’s going to be like tomorrow.
Neither Morikawa nor Oosthuizen can make their birdie putts. In fact, Oosthuizen goes closer, despite having been twice as far away. A big chance to grab a share of the lead passed up by Morikawa there, who exits the green wearing a look of slight regret. Both find the fairway at 18.
-12: Oosthuizen (17)
-11: Morikawa (17)
-9: Spieth (F)
-8: Conners (F), Scheffler (F)
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Jordan Spieth prowls around his putt, checking all angles. He eventually gives it a good old clack, but the ball always stays up on the left. He’s got a two-footer coming back ... and pulls it. It doesn’t even touch the lip! A miserable bogey-bogey finish, and he walks off the green wearing the flushed-out look of a defeated man. A 69 that promised so much more. He’s -9. Meanwhile birdie for Dylan Frittelli, and it’s a 70. He’s -7 and will be feeling the better of the two.
Spieth’s drive down 18 finds the right of the fairway but only just avoids a huge divot. He takes advantage of his deserved break by steering a 9-iron into the heart of the green. Pin high, he’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet. Frittelli spins his approach to six feet, looking to salvage something at the death. Back on 17, Morikawa is back in dialled-irons mode, landing his second 12 feet from the flag. Oosthuizen finds the dancefloor too, but doesn’t threaten the pin.
It’s been a poor back nine for Dylan Frittelli. Bogeys at 11 and 15, and now a three-putt bogey at 17. He slips to -6, but he’ll be happy with the way his week is going nonetheless. He only found out he was playing this week on Monday, when he replaced the Covid-struck Louis de Jager, so will have had little time to prepare. He’s also missed 15 cuts this season, and nine of the last 11, so with all that context in mind, this is pretty good going.
A few minutes ago, there was a three-way tie for the lead. But Spieth can’t make his par saver on 17, while Oosthuizen rolls in his birdie chance at 16! All of a sudden, the top of the leader board looks like this ...
-12: Oosthuizen (16)
-11: Morikawa (16)
-10: Spieth (17)
-8: Conners (F), Scheffler (F)
Scottie Scheffler has been quiet all day. Bogey at 5, birdie at 7, the rest pars. But on 18, he nearly sends his approach into the cup from 100 yards, using the banking on the right side of the green to bring his ball round. He’ll tap in for birdie and a round of 69. He’s very much in this at -8! Par for his partner Dustin Johnson, though, and it’s a miserable 73 for the two-time major champion. He’s -4.
A misjudgement by Spieth on 17, who lands his approach on the false front of the green. His ball topples back onto the fairway. He putts up, his ball rolling ten feet past. Big putt coming up. Back on 16, both Morikawa and Oosthuizen fire outrageously brave - and spectacularly good - tee shots straight at the flag. Bunker be damned. They’re both rewarded with ten-foot birdie chances.
Oosthuizen rolls in the par putt. That’s huge! A third bogey in five holes would have really hurt, but that was calmly steered into the cup, and he retains a share of the lead. Roars of relief as much as celebration from the gallery, who are giving the popular South African all the support they can.
-11: Spieth (16), Oosthuizen (15), Morikawa (15)
More trouble for Oosthuizen, who is threatening to unravel. He tugs his second into 15 well wide of the green and down a swale. He chips delicately up the big slope, and leaves a ten-foot putt, about the best he could do from there. But he’ll really need to make that par putt. Meanwhile Morikawa nearly steers in a birdie putt from the fringe at the back, but his ball breaks right at the last. Par will do.
Spieth plays it safe into the par-three 16th. The flag’s near a pot bunker, so to hell with that. He finds the middle of the green, then nearly drains the long birdie putt anyway. Par, and he walks off happy enough. Par for Frittelli, too, nice and steady after visiting greenside sand on the last and dropping his second stroke of the back nine.
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Andy Sullivan and Marcel Siem entertain the crowds coming up the last. Sullivan hits the flagstick with his approach, while Siem guides his second in from the camber to the right, his ball rolling elegantly to kick-in distance. The entertaining Siem whips up the gallery some more by throwing some lasso shapes. A pair of certain birdies. Sullivan cards 71, Siem 70; they’re -5 and -6 respectively. He’s good fun, Siem, and that’s a fine response to that triple on 14.
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Oosthuizen gathers himself, drawing putter from his bag and nudging his ball up the slope and onto the green, stopping it a couple of feet from the hole. He escapes with par, but Morikawa, whose eagle effort never really looked like dropping, taps in for birdie. With Spieth taking two careful putts for his par on 15, it’s now a three-way tie at the top!
-11: Spieth (15), Oosthuizen (14), Morikawa (14)
-8: Conners (F)
-7: Rahm (F), Hughes (F), Scheffler (16), Frittelli (15)
Having staggered across the front nine in 38 strokes, Dustin Johnson then made two more bogeys at 10 and 11. But great champions never lie down, and he’s bounced back with birdies at 14 and 16. At -4, his dream of going one better than 2011 is kaput, but a high finish is still a possibility.
Oosthuizen chunks his chip. The ball thuds apologetically on the bank to the side of the green. He’s now faced with an up and down to save par. Up on 15, Spieth finds the green in two controlled swipes. As Morikawa waits to take his eagle putt, the pressure is really on Oosthuizen now.
Jordan Spieth takes putter from off the front of 14. His long lag is a little undercooked, and he doesn’t hit his six-foot birdie effort with conviction either. He stomps off in high dudgeon, yelling “Damn it!” with great feeling. A par, but it’ll feel like a dropped shot, something that’s further illustrated by Collin Morikawa, who, coming behind, creams a glorious iron pin high to 20 feet. If that goes in for eagle, he’ll leapfrog Spieth and Oosthuizen into the lead. Oosthuizen, incidentally, is beginning to fray a little, pulling his second well left of the green. He’s left with bunkers in the way, and shortsided.
Paul Casey never really got going today. Bogeys at 1 and 11, birdies at 5 and 17, and the 70 keeps him at -5. Meanwhile a mention for the defending champion Shane Lowry, who came back in 33 strokes this afternoon, making birdies at 16 and 17, for a 69 that nudges him up to -5. Just a little bit too far off the pace, but it’s a very respectable title defence nonetheless.
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Some clumsy stuff from Louis Oosthuizen on 13. Short of the green in two, he leaves his wedge 15 feet short, and can’t make the par saver. It’s only his third bogey of the week, but it’s his second in three holes, and a costly one too, because his partner Collin Morikawa rolls in a long birdie putt, while up on the par-five 14th, Jordan Spieth is just short of the dancefloor in two. All of a sudden, what was threatening to turn into a two-man duel becomes a three-man scrap, with plenty of others on the fringes, waiting to pile on!
-11: Spieth (13), Oosthuizen (13)
-10: Morikawa (13)
-8: Conners (F), Frittelli (13)
-7: Rahm (F), Hughes (F), Scheffler (14)
-6: Smith (F), Harding (F)
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A strong finish for Mackenzie Hughes. The 30-year-old Canadian came close at the US Open, before getting stuck up a tree. Now he’s showing in another major. Birdies at 14, 16 and finally 18, his long putt nearly stopping on the lip and teasing the gallery before dropping to a roar, whisk him up to -7. It wasn’t much of a day for his playing partner Brooks Koepka, though. A bang-average 72, and he’s well off the pace at -3.
Having hit a poor second, Jon Rahm gets up and down from the back of 18 for par. It’s his round in microcosm: scrappy, staunch and with a smattering of that old Rahm quality. A 68 despite being far from on song. He’s still in this at -7. Meanwhile word of Marcel Siem, who couldn’t stem the bleeding after hitting his tee shot at 14 out of bounds, and eventually ran up a triple-bogey eight. However, he’s bounced back with birdie at 16, having knocked his tee shot close, and he’s back to -5.
In fact, Spieth’s ball snagged in the grass just to the right of the bunker. It’s a lucky break, though for a minute it looks as though he’s not going to take advantage, hitting an uncharacteristically clumsy chip six feet past the cup. But he makes the putt coming back. He’s having to battle for his pars right now, but he’s clinging on in his usual street-scrapping style.
Oosthuizen is this close to steering in a 12-foot birdie chance on 12. The ball dies right on its final turn, and scuppers that plan. He remains at -12. Morikawa also comes up just short with a longer birdie effort, and remains at -9. Up on 13, Spieth misjudges and dumps his approach into a bunker guarding the front of the green. Another big up and down coming up.
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Birdie for Jon Rahm at 17! He’s been off the boil for most of the day, but he’s finishing strongly. Despite it all, he’s -7, just five off. Meanwhile on 12, Jordan Spieth makes another outrageous par save. He muscles his second over the back, then hits a putt up from the swale that would still be going now had it not hit the flagstick. He makes the six-footer that remains, and the crowd go ballistic. Some more outrageous luck, but then you know what Gary Player used to say about that. He really is an amazing golfer, so much fun to watch.
Par for Corey Conners on 18, and he’s signing for a glorious 66. At -8, he’s the new clubhouse leader ... and he’s just four back as well, because Louis Oosthuizen doesn’t take advantage of his good fortune in avoiding that greenside bunker at 11. Three to get down, and he’s back to -12. No birdie for Morikawa, incidentally, which is a shame after that lovely tee shot.
-12: Oosthuizen (11)
-11: Spieth (11)
-9: Morikawa (11)
-8: Conners (F), Frittelli (11)
Oosthuizen’s tee shot at 11 nearly gathers into a bunker to the left. It stops just short on the downslope. Not sure how. Morikawa takes a fairway wood and caresses one of the shots of the day to eight feet. Meanwhile on 12, Spieth hooks his drive into filth down the left. He’s beginning to find quite a bit of bother off the tee, hitting just 62.5 percent of fairways today; compare to Oosthuizen’s percentage of 75 ... and Corey Conners’ 92.86!
Neither Spieth nor Frittelli can get up and down from their respective positions in the bunker and the gallery. Bogeys for both, and they slip to -11 and -8. Penny for the thoughts of Oosthuizen and Morikawa, watching it all unfold back on the tee, having made their pars at 10.
Marcel Siem replicates Danny Willett’s error at 14, taking an iron off the tee for safety only to slice out of bounds. The 41-year-old German celebrated his birdie on 10 with a huge roar and a fist pump; this time he hangs his head in quiet contemplation. Willett got out of Dodge with bogey; can Siem do the same?
The par-three 11th is 242 yards today. Spieth pulls his iron into a bunker front left; Frittelli loses all rhythm and sends a hysterical shot a long way left and over the back. Both players have a little bit of work to do. Back on 10, Oosthuizen and Morikawa set up another couple of mid-range birdie chances.
Jordan Spieth responds to Oosthuizen’s birdie with one of his own. He sends his second at 10 to 12 feet, leaving a straight putt that he walks in with great confidence. He moves to -12, and right now, the 149th Open Championship is threatening to turn into another Watson-Nicklaus / Stenson-Mickelson duel.
-13: Oosthuizen (9)
-12: Spieth (10)
-9: Frittelli (10), Morikawa (9)
Andy Sullivan nearly slam-dunks his approach at 12 into the cup. He tidies up what’s left for birdie. He moves to -6 ... which is now seven off the lead, because on 9, Louis Oosthuizen steers in a 15-foot right-curling birdie effort for his second birdie of the day! He hits the turn in 33, and moves two clear of Jordan Spieth.
-13: Oosthuizen (9)
-11: Spieth (9)
-9: Frittelli (9), Morikawa (9)
-8: Conners (16)
-7: Siem (12), Scheffler (10)
-6: Rahm (14), Sullivan (12)
A couple of players have joined Kevin Streelman at -5 to share the clubhouse lead. The 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson signs for a 67, while Daniel Berger comes back in 32 for a 68. Justin Rose is in with a 70, and he’s -3 after 54 holes. And word of Sergio, just because: he shot 73 today. As per the theory posted at 3.25pm, that white putter didn’t do him much good today: he took 2.06 putts per green today, a figure that compares dismally to the field average of 1.68, and Collin Morikawa’s category-leading total of 1.22. Oh Sergio!
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Two putts for Jordan Spieth. Par, and he’s turning in 32 strokes. It’s a two-putt par for Dylan Frittelli, as well, and he’s played the front nine in a less dramatic, slightly less swashbuckling 33. Meanwhile the US Open champion Jon Rahm finally gets back into red figures for the day; a birdie at 14 takes him to -6 overall.
Morikawa pours his 25-foot birdie putt on 8 into the middle of the cup! He’s back to level par for his round today. Par for Oosthuizen, his 15-foot effort missing low on the left. Meanwhile up on 9, Spieth lashes out of the spinach and into the heart of the green. That’s a glorious shot from a very difficult lie. He’s pin high, and will have an outside chance of birdie.
Spieth’s radar has gone a little haywire, though. Another wild tee shot, this time sliced into the thick stuff down the right of 9. He’ll need to ride out this rocky patch. Meanwhile back on 8, both Oosthuizen and Morikawa set up birdie half-chances.
A big par save for Jordan Spieth on 8. He pulls his tee shot into thick rough down the left. His second flies off the right, and very fortunately bounces back out of the thick stuff, nestling on the fringe. He bumps a long third elegantly to a couple of feet, and tidies up to remain at -11. A fascinating melange of brilliance and dumb luck. Spieth always gives you bang for your buck.
Morikawa isn’t far away from rolling in his eagle putt on 7. Birdie will do. Oosthuizen’s effort, which has a much bigger right-to-left swing, isn’t so close. But he’ll make his birdie as well, and reclaims sole ownership of the lead. Meanwhile it’s a third birdie in a row - and the fourth in five holes - for Corey Conners, who is making a significant move. It’s fair to say the back nine has been playing easier than the front, though, so with the wind down, it’ll be interesting to see if the leading bunch make hay.
-12: Oosthuizen (7)
-11: Spieth (7)
-9: Frittelli (7)
-8: Conners (14), Morikawa (7)
Danny Willett does very well to limit the damage on 14 to bogey. He slips to -5, but that’s the best he could have hoped for after flaying that tee shot out of bounds. Dustin Johnson drops yet another stroke, this time at 8, and he’s -4, the world number one in danger of becoming a surprise irrelevance.
Jon Rahm is putting in a lot of effort to go nowhere. Lip-out bogey at 11 - cheered by one punter, who finds himself on the receiving end of a death stare - is followed by birdie at 12. That’s three of each so far. He’s where he started the day at -5. Meanwhile there are a couple of eagle putts coming up on 7, where Louis Oosthuizen and Collin Morikawa have both found the heart of the green in two.
Jordan Spieth joins Louis Oosthuizen in the lead! He finds the par-five 7th in two smooth strikes, then nearly drains the long right-to-left eagle putt. He taps in to move to -11. His partner Dylan Frittelli matches him shot for shot, and the leader board looks very different now.
-11: Spieth (7), Oosthuizen (6)
-9: Frittelli (7)
-7: Conners (13), Harding (10), Scheffler (7), Morikawa (6)
Corey Conners hasn’t won anything this year, but he’s still having one hell of a season. Third at the Arnold Palmer, seventh at the Players, top ten in both editions of the Masters, a top-20 finish at the PGA. He’s just pushed the pedal to the floor after hitting the turn; birdies at 10, 12 and now 13 have catapulted the 29-year-old Canadian into contention. He’s -7.
While Scheffler was strolling down the middle of 7, Dustin Johnson was zigging and zagging. A second bogey of the day, and odds of righting the wrongs of 2011 are beginning to lengthen. DJ’s hopes here went south that year when he sent his second at 14 out of bounds; the same is in danger of happening now to Danny Willett, who takes iron off the tee at the same hole ... and sends a huge slice over the fence and out. He’ll be reloading and hitting three.
Morikawa, up on the bank to the right of 5, whips out of the cabbage, landing his ball eight feet from the flag. That’s a sensational effort from there. He can’t make the putt to save his par, though, and continues to head the wrong way. He’s -7. A textbook birdie on the par-five 7th for Scottie Scheffler, and after bogey at 2, he’s back to where he started the day at -7.
Dylan Frittelli, having dropped a stroke at 5, bounces back by rattling in a long birdie putt on the par-three 6th. His playing partner Jordan Spieth, having arrowed his tee shot to six feet, makes no mistake with the putt and birdies as well. It’s suddenly hotting up, as we always knew it would!
-11: Oosthuizen (4)
-10: Spieth (6)
-8: Frittelli (6), Morikawa (4)
-7: Harding (9)
A poser for Morikawa on 5. He’s sent his drive towards a bunker down the left. It’s stopped just short, but he’s not left with much of a stance. He illustrates the difficulty of the situation by nearly falling backwards into the trap when sizing it up. Then he does stumble back into it when sending it straight right and nearly out of bounds. It’s nestled in some pure filth. More problems ahoy.
Oosthuizen gets up and down from the side of 4 without fuss, and he continues serenely on his way. Four holes, four pars. Meanwhile a double bogey at 15 has extinguished any faint hopes Tommy Fleetwood might have had. He slips to -2.
-11: Oosthuizen (4)
-9: Spieth (5)
-8: Morikawa (4)
Collin Morikawa looks to have made his fairly straight ten-foot birdie putt on 4, and he’s as shocked as everyone else when the ball somehow stays on the left lip. He deserved a better fate after that approach. He remains at -8. He’s now one closer to Jordan Spieth, though, because the 2017 champ, having been slightly unfortunate to see a decent second into 5 topple off the back of the green, can’t get up and down. Bogey, and he slips to -9.
Oosthuizen’s second into 4 sails off down a swale to the right of the green. Yep, it’s a hard surface to hold all right ... except Morikawa makes a mockery of all that by landing his approach pin high, stopping it softly ten feet from the flag. Much more like yesterday. Normal service resumed?
Scrub that! Jordan Spieth finds the middle of 4, holding the green - which is easier said than done - and rattling in a 25-footer for his second birdie of the round! He closes in on Louis Oosthuizen, who does very well to get down in two from the side of 3. Morikawa also saves his par with a gorgeous bump onto the green that screeches to a halt a couple of feet from the cup.
-11: Oosthuizen (3)
-10: Spieth (4)
-8: Morikawa (3)
-7: Harding (7), Frittelli (4)
-6: Willett (11), Smith (10), Hughes (8), Siem (6), Sullivan (6), Johnson (4), Scheffler (4)
Collin Morikawa has started extremely nervously. Such a contrast to the manner in which he sashayed around the place yesterday. He pulls an awful tee shot way left at the par-three 3rd. It’s short to boot. He’ll have a long up and down to save par. Oosthuizen misses the green too, albeit much less egregiously, just off the left, roughly pin high. Up on 4, meanwhile, Dustin Johnson drops his first shot of the day to slip to -6. Nobody’s making a serious move at the minute ... and to further illustrate that, Cam Smith bogeys 10 and he’s -6 as well.
Danny Willett makes a spectacular move, holing out at 10 from 100 yards! A couple of soft bounces, then a gentle roll into the cup for eagle. Suddenly the 2016 Masters champion is -6. Two-putt pars for Spieth and Frittelli on 3. But Morikawa can’t get up and down from the back of 2, and he slips back into third. Par for Louis.
-11: Oosthuizen (2)
-9: Spieth (3)
-8: Morikawa (2)
Morikawa chips back out onto the fairway. Then he sends his wedge over the flag and off the back of the green. He was dialling everything in yesterday; this is already a marked contrast. Oosthuizen knocks his second to ten feet. Meanwhile some cartoon capers on 4, where Dustin Johnson pulls his approach miles left. It’s heading for the hay, but smacks a marshal on the seat of his pants, the ball rebounding back towards the fairway, just off the front of the green. A lucky break for DJ, not so much for the poor volunteer.
Morikawa pulls his drive at 2 into a bunker down the left. There’s no enjoyment to be found in there. Oosthuizen strokes his tee shot down the middle. Up on 3, Spieth uses the bank to the right to guide his ball into the centre of the green. His partner Frittelli goes direct, and he’ll have a look at birdie from 15 feet. Meanwhile an ugly bogey six for Rahm on 7, the second easiest hole on the course today. He roars in anger as he drops to -5.
Oosthuizen very nearly makes his left-to-right birdie putt on 1, but the ball stays on the high side. He remains at -11, two clear of Morikawa, who rolls in his par putt calmly. That sandy save will give the young Californian a boost. Meanwhile on 5, Casey pours in a long birdie putt to make good the errors of the opening hole. He’s -5 again. And on 2, Spieth bumps a clever links-savvy second to four feet, and tidies up for birdie. He joins Morikawa in second spot.
-11: Oosthuizen (1)
-9: Spieth (2), Morikawa (1)
-7: Smith (8), Harding (5), Johnson (3), Frittelli (2)
-6: Rahm (6), Siem (4), Sullivan (4), Scheffler (2)
-5: Streelman (F), Hughes (6), Casey (5)
Oosthuizen applies a little bit of matchplay-style pressure on his partner Morikawa, knocking his second at 1 to 15 feet. It pays off, as Morikawa lands his iron a few yards short, the ball hitting the bank at the front of the green and toppling back down into sand. He whips it out well, but will still have to make a six-footer to save his par.
Up the hole, Frittelli does very well to power out of the rough and onto the green. He lags up from distance and saves his par. Spieth meanwhile doesn’t get his approach particularly close, and has to settle for a steady par. Meanwhile on 5, Rahm walks in a 15-footer to move into red figures for his round today, and to -6 overall.
The 39th and final game takes to the first tee. Collin Morikawa whip-cracks a drive down the track, and is slightly unlucky to bounce into the semi-rough on the right. But he should be OK. And then rapturous applause, accompanied by Matt Kuuuuuucher style Loooooouis, for the leader. Oosthuizen sends his tee shot into the semi down the left. All the contenders out and about now.
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Tommy Fleetwood is probably too far back to seriously contemplate a bid tomorrow, but he’s going along well nonetheless. Having dropped a stroke at 2, he’s since birdied 3, 7, and now 12 to move to -4. Birdie for Emiliano Grillo at 2; the Argentinian is -7. And Cameron Smith appears to be on it today, following that birdie at 6 with another at 7. He joins the group in a tie for fourth.
-11: Oosthuizen
-9: Morikawa
-8: Spieth
-7: Smith (7), Harding (3), Grillo (2), Johnson (1), Scheffler (1), Frittelli
Here comes Jordan Spieth! The 2017 champion may be difficult to beat if his driver behaves itself this weekend. Well, the early signs are good as he splits the fairway at the opening hole. He’s going round today with his old University of Texas buddy Dylan Frittelli, the South African sending his opening drive into the thick stuff down the left. Frittelli is making good use of an unexpected opportunity this week; he only gained his place in the field last Monday, when Louis de Jager tested positive for Covid-19.
The first gentle oscillations at the top of the leader board. Cam Smith makes his second birdie of the day at 6, Justin Harding picks up a shot at 2, and Kevin Streelman takes the early clubhouse lead, in with a clean-card 66 having birdied 17. So here we are.
-11: Oosthuizen
-9: Morikawa
-8: Spieth
-7: Harding (3), Frittelli, Johnson, Scheffler
-6: Smith (6), Siem (2), Sullivan (2), van Tonder (1), Grillo (1)
-5: Streelman (F), Rahm (4), Hughes (4)
Having mentioned Brooks, you’ll be wanting to know what Bryson got up to earlier. He copped a few cheeky but well-meaning pantomime boos on the opening tee, having opted to leave his driver in the bag. Plenty of lovely warm applause as he creamed his driving iron down the track, though. Some self-deprecating laughter as he failed to hack his ball out of thick rough. A double at 9; birdies at 14 and 17. He ended his day with a 72, +3 overall for the tournament.
Last year’s Scottish Open champion Aaron Rai is making his move. Birdies at 2 and 8 took him out in 33, and now the 26-year-old from Wolverhampton has holed out from the fairway at 13. A third birdie of the day, and he’s -4. Meanwhile, passing him on the way down, Brooks Koepka. The four-time major winner told the media last night that he pretty much needed a perfect round today if he’s to compete for the title. Well, he’s not getting his wish. A heavy handed putt from the fringe at the back of 2 costs him a stroke, then he compounds the error by sending his tee shot into thick rough to the side of 3. Another bogey, and he’s -3.
Strange flat-stick behaviour from Jon Rahm, too. He misses a tiddler for par on the opening hole, a miserable way to begin his follow-up to yesterday’s 64, but then recovers by draining a 50-footer on 3 for birdie. He’s back to where he started the day at -5. Meanwhile hats off to Paul Casey, who muscles his fourth at 1 out of the rough on the left, rolling up to three feet. A magnificent recovery, and one that limits the damage made by all that slicing and hacking to bogey. He slips to -4, and suddenly won’t be feeling half as bad.
Another bogey for Garcia, this time at 8. He’s -1. Simon Farnaby is at St George’s, following Sergio around, and thinks he may have spotted the problem: the colour of the shaft of his putter. “I can’t help thinking that a white stick doesn’t bode well for someone trying to put a ball in a tiny hole,” he writes. I suspect Sergio may severely test Simon’s patience this afternoon. The stewards may be required to intervene. We’ll keep you posted.
However, big scores are also very much possible. Paul Casey, dreaming dreamy dreams of that elusive first major, and well positioned going into Moving Day at -5, slices his drive at 1 into deep trouble down the right. He can’t hack out. His second attempt squirts out straight left and into thick stuff on the other side of the hole. He’ll be doing well to make double bogey from there. What a miserable start. How quickly things can unravel at the Open Championship.
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While we wait for things to heat up, as they surely will, let’s take time to reflect on yesterday, when three new Open records were set. Louis Oosthuizen’s 36-hole mark of 129 beat the previous record of 130 held by Nick Faldo (Muirfield 1992) and Brandt Snedeker (Lytham 2012). The cut line of 141 was the lowest ever, beating the previous mark of 143, which had occurred eight times in the last 30 Opens. And there were 63 rounds yesterday below 70, which absolutely obliterated the previous single-day record of 50, set in 2009 at Turnberry. More records to fall over the weekend? Hey, why not? I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that someone may break new ground in a men’s major by shooting 61. I mean, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it, but it’s not beyond the realms.
Rory McIlroy pars the last, and he’s signing for a decent but ultimately disappointing 69. He’s -1, and yet another year goes by without that elusive fifth major. Cameron Smith follows birdie at the opening hole with pars at 2 and 3; he moves to -5. And Kevin Streelman is going well, having birdied 3, 10 and 14. The 42-year-old from Illinois is well on course for his best-ever finish at the Open, having never broken the top 50 in five attempts. His top-ten finish at the PGA this year, followed by a tie for 15th at Torrey Pines last month, will have no doubt given him belief going into this one.
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Bob MacIntyre’s superb 65 will have given hope to the chasing pack, and he tells Sky: “It’s a stiff breeze, almost like it was yesterday. It wasn’t too bad. There’s chances to score, but there are some tucked pins, on slopes and whatnot. But as I’ve shown, there’s a chance out there, you’ve just got to stay patient.”
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Birdie for Justin Thomas at 12. It’s his second of the day, having made another at 6, and makes good and mends the mess he made of 3. Oh Justin! He’s -1.
"That's embarrassing" 😳
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 17, 2021
Justin Thomas misses his tap-in putt and cards a three-putt double-bogey at #TheOpen!
📺 Watch the third round live on Sky Sports The Open ⛳pic.twitter.com/hra6I7KWiD
A blemish-free round of 66 for Jason Kokrak. The 36-year-old from Ohio - born in Canada when his mum was visiting friends and family and brought back to the States within a week - is enjoying the best season of his career. He won the CJ Cup last October, his first PGA Tour title in his 233rd start after ten years of trying. Sure enough, a second victory wasn’t long in coming: 16 events later, he won the Charles Schwab Challenge. He’s got absolutely no record in the majors, though, with a tie for 17th at last year’s US Open his best return. Another good round tomorrow should best that: he’s -4 for the week, currently in a tie for 19th having shot up 34 places today.
Sergio Garcia is careering his way around Royal St George’s in his trademark entertaining, erratic, eccentric style. Birdie at the opening hole. Double bogey at 2. Another bogey at 3. Now he’s birdied 5. Just the one par so far. He’s -2. Say what you will about Nick Faldo, but there’s a reason he put six major trophies on the mantlepiece while Sergio has just the one.
Rory McIlroy missing a short putt is hardly breaking news. Mind you, this one, from three feet at 15, stays out by looping the loop. He stands stock still, theatrically staring at his ball for a beat, before finally tapping in for his third bogey of the back nine. All that good early work undone. He’s back to -1.
The sun is beating down at Sandwich. It’ll be lovely and bright all day, with temperatures up to 22°C. There’s a light northeasterly blowing, but not in a manner that’ll cause the players too many problems. The forecast is 8-12 mph, gusting 16 mph tops. Tomorrow is expected to be even hotter: 25°C with lighter winds. It all promises good scoring, though that’ll be offset by an ever-hardening course and some tougher pin positions.
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Bob MacIntyre sends his second at 18 down the swale to the left of the green, the one which briefly threatened to undo Sandy Lyle in 1985. No such worries for Lyle’s young compatriot, though. He gets out the putter, and from 40 feet, whistles his ball up the slope and straight into the cup! That’s a birdie and a round of 65. He’s too far back to win tomorrow, but now another high finish is very much a possibility, to go alongside his tie for sixth at Portrush. This hole’s been good to him this week; he birdied it yesterday, too, making the cut by the skin of his teeth as a result.
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Rory McIlroy has done his usual post-2014 thing of flattering to deceive. A long putt on the opening hole threatened to stay put on the lip, but having teased the crowd and its master, it toppled, upon which Rory went on a front-nine tear-up. Four more birdies, at 4, 6, 7 and 9, with just the one bogey at 5, and he was out in 31. But he’s since shed shots at 11 and 13 to slip back to -2, and the needle on his Hope-o-meter™ has shifted from Faint to Pipe.
So of the early starters, who has done the most Moving so far today, then? Step forward Scotland’s only representative in this year’s Open, Robert MacIntyre. The 24-year-old from Oban was out in 33 this morning, and has since birdied 14 and now 17. He’s en route to a 66 should he par his way up the last, and is -3 overall for the tournament.
Preamble
Welcome to Moving Day ... and if it’s half as good as the second round, we’re in for a treat. Yesterday saw sensational 64s for Collin Morikawa, Emiliano Grillo and Jon Rahm, all three of whom came within inches of equalling Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart’s course record. There were fine 65s by the 36-hole leader Louis Oosthuizen, the defending champion Shane Lowry, 2011 redemption-story-in-waiting Dustin Johnson, and the amateur Matthias Schmid. Also there was a feelgood hole-in-one for the debutant Jonathan Thomson! Not bad, huh? So here’s how the top of the leader board looked after 36 holes, with Oosthuizen having set a new 36-hole record at the Open ...
-11: Oosthuizen
-9: Morikawa
-8: Spieth
-7: Frittelli, Johnson, Scheffler
-6: van Tonder, Grillo, Siem, Sullivan, Harding
-5: Casey, Koepka, Hughes, Rahm, Tringale
-4: Finau, Fox, Conners, Smith, Willett, Harman, Lowry, Snedeker
... here are a few of the names who haven’t made it through to the weekend ...
Francesco Molinari, Marc Leishman, Keegan Bradley, Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson, Jimmy Walker, Patrick Cantlay, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Branden Grace, Stewart Cink, Li Haotong, Ernie Els, Jason Day, Alex Noren, Lucas Glover, Matt Kuchar, Garrick Higgo, the injured Will Zalatoris, the 2011 winner Darren Clarke, and the 2020 PGA champion Phil Mickelson
... and here’s when everyone’s teeing off today. (Players are GB & Ireland unless stated, all times BST, -a- denotes amateurs)
09.20 Yuxin Lin -a- (Chn)
09.30 Talor Gooch (USA), Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
09.40 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Richard Mansell
09.50 J. C. Ritchie (Rsa), Marcus Armitage
10.00 Poom Saksansin (Tha), Ryosuke Kinoshita (Jpn)
10.10 Antoine Rozner (Fra), Rickie Fowler (USA)
10.20 Brendan Steele (USA), Robert MacIntyre
10.30 Harris English (USA), Sam Burns (USA)
10.40 Jason Kokrak (USA), Abraham Ancer (Mex)
10.50 Sam Horsfield , Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa)
11.05 Rory McIlroy , Richard Bland
11.15 Xander Schauffele (USA), Benjamin Hebert (Fra)
11.25 Padraig Harrington , Matthew Fitzpatrick
11.35 Kevin Streelman (USA), Lanto Griffin (USA)
11.45 Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Viktor Hovland (Nor)
11.55 Chan Kim (USA), Max Homa (USA)
12.05 Justin Thomas (USA), Adam Scott (Aus)
12.15 Kevin Kisner (USA), Billy Horschel (USA)
12.25 Matthias Schmid -a- (Ger), Jazz Janewattananond (Tha)
12.35 Chez Reavie (USA), Aaron Rai
12.50 Lee Westwood , Jonathan Thomson
13.00 Jack Senior , Ian Poulter
13.10 Webb Simpson (USA), Tommy Fleetwood
13.20 Matt Wallace , Johannes Veerman (USA)
13.30 Sergio Garcia (Spa), Byeong-Hun An (Kor)
13.40 Justin Rose , Joel Dahmen (USA)
13.50 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Daniel Berger (USA)
14.00 Brandt Snedeker (USA), Shane Lowry
14.10 Danny Willett , Brian Harman (USA)
14.20 Cameron Smith (Aus), Corey Conners (Can)
14.35 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Tony Finau (USA)
14.45 Cameron Tringale (USA), Jon Rahm (Spa)
14.55 Brooks Koepka (USA), Mackenzie Hughes (Can)
15.05 Justin Harding (Rsa), Paul Casey
15.15 Marcel Siem (Ger), Andy Sullivan
15.25 Daniel van Tonder (Rsa), Emiliano Grillo (Arg)
15.35 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Dustin Johnson (USA)
15.45 Dylan Frittelli (Rsa), Jordan Spieth (USA)
15.55 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Collin Morikawa (USA)
