Twenty-nine majors, or 2,898 days, have come and gone for Rory McIlroy since he won the US PGA Championship trophy at Valhalla. Shortly after quarter past seven on day three of this Open Championship, McIlroy leapt to the summit of the leaderboard. He is now tied for that position and 18 holes from Seve Ballesteros’ major winning tally of 18 majors.
McIlroy’s five-time Open champion status at St Andrews will be well-appreciated by the Spaniard. In the space of just over eight years, McIlroy has never been closer to achieving his ultimate goal. He has never looked more capable of accomplishing it. Yet the 33-year-old will know all too well – thanks to his past experiences – just how hard it will be to surpass Viktor Hovland and claim number one. The Norwegian, who shares 16 under par with McIlroy, is a formidable opponent. The duo traded blows like superstar boxers on day three here – producing impressive 66s in the process. It felt perfectly appropriate for McIlroy and Hovland to separate themselves from the field as they continued their quest for glory.
Although it would be foolish to completely disregard all contenders, the magnitude of brilliance from Hovland and McIlroy has made an alternate champion difficult to foresee. Cameron Young and Cameron Smith are closest to the leaders, at 12 under. Kim Si-woo is a shot further back, alongside the world No 1, Scottie Scheffler. Kim’s 67 was the lowest day-three score of that group.
If McIlroy can win in round three, thoughts will turn to the pivotal moment. A bunker shot from about 30 yards is supposedly the hardest in golf. What a mockery was made of that concept at the 10th hole, where he holed out for an eagle. What is it about McIlroy and majors with sand traps? He leapt with joy when he found the bottom of the cup at Augusta National from a greenside bunker. In Fife, McIlroy punched the air to rapturous applause after finding the bottom of the cup at the 72nd hole from a sandtrap.
After flying from the traps, Hovland had three birdies in a row. The Norwegian stated that he had hit a good shot on the 3rd hole and then proceeded to shoot four birdies in a row from the 5th hole onwards. McIlroy, who had missed opportunities, was under pressure. His response, courtesy of birdies at the 6th, 9th and 10th holes before heroics on the 11th, was that of a champion. Hovland and McIlroy were now level at 15 under after being tied at 14 under prior to this round.
After McIlroy earned an advantage at the 14th hole, it was cancelled out at the penultimate hole. Hovland expertly saved par from a potential path. McIlroy’s second shot was long enough to leave just enough room for a backswing against the perimeter wall, leaving him with only a five on the scoring meter. Both players made birdies at the last, with the clear understanding of how much had transpired over the previous four and a quarter hours made perfectly clear.
Dustin Johnson, the LIV rebel most likely to win the Open, is currently at 12 under after 12 holes. He was only three strokes behind the lead after 13, 14 and 16 holes. However, bogeys at the 13th, 14th and 16th halted his charge. The former world No 1 will now need some good luck on the last hole to clinch his first major title.
Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are currently playing nine holes at a slow pace. Fleetwood has been playing well today, carding an 66. Tyrrell Hatton began the day at minus eight but has since slipped to a 73. Hatton looks on with intense anger as his partner, Talor Gooch, plays slowly.
This could be a weekend that Filippo Celli will never forget. He’s in pole position to win the silver medal after carding a 71. His sights are set on a bigger prize – next September playing in his home country, Italy, in the Ryder Cup. “I hope I’m that Italian guy who will be playing in the Ryder Cup in Rome,” Celli said. “It would be great.”
Shane Lowry chipped in for eagle on the 9th hole before repeating the feat on the very next hole. This had not played out at an Open since 2001. Lowry had reached nine under par at that point, meaning his position of minus seven at the close of play was a frustration. The 2019 champion believes he has “no chance” of winning a second Open title.
Lowry expressed that he felt like on the front nine of the tournament, he was going along just fine. However, on holes 9 and 10, things changed for him and he entered into the tournament as a contender.
“I’m pretty frustrated and annoyed right now. I keep telling myself and telling you over and over again that I want to play in the back nine on Saturday with a chance to do something great. I actually made it there today, but I didn’t play well. That’s really disappointing.”
Jordan Spieth’s 68 moved him to a negative eight. “I’ll probably do an ice bath tonight,” he said. “Ice baths are a lot harder in Scotland than they are in Memphis.” Spieth is lucky he only visits these shores during the summer.
“I need some sort of crazy monsoon to arrive tomorrow in order to have a chance,” Spieth said. “Even if I shoot eight under, I still think I lose by more than three. I’m in a position where shooting seven or eight under would mean a strong finish and I would gain a lot of momentum. There will be no ‘give up’. It’s not like I’m in 45th.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com
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