The third round of the 2023 Open Championship was completed on Saturday afternoon at Royal Liverpool as players decided their own fate on moving day.
The adrenaline of playing on the weekend brought the pressure of major championship golf ahead of the final 18 holes tomorrow to wrap up the 2023 major tournament schedule.
Here are four takeaways from the third round of the 151st Open Championship.
Open Championship leader Brian Harman remains on top
After taking a six-shot lead yesterday, Brian Harman came into Saturday’s third round with the pressure of holding on to a lead at a major championship like Wyndham Clark trying to stave off the stars last month of the U.S. Open.
Harman, who entered at +2800 odds to win this week, was able to maintain his Open Championship lead heading into the final round. After recording bogeys on the par-4 first and par-4 fourth, he responded by going bogey-free the rest of the way. He quickly responded with a birdie on the par-5 fifth after his bogey and added another birdie to conclude the front nine to get back to even par and 10-under par for the tournament.
On the back nine, as the field started to get closer, Harman continued to knock down pars but needed to make birdies. On the par-4 12th, he was able to get his 141-yard approach to five feet. On the ensuing hole, the par-3 13th, Harman made a 20-footer for birdie to get a 12-under par.
He just continued to not give shots up and record bogeys or worse as the round progressed, making par on his final five holes.
Also read: Round 2 Takeaways from the 2023 Open Championship
Jon Rahm shoots best round in Open/British Championship history at Royal Liverpool
Ever since his Masters win last April for his fourth win this season, Jon Rahm has not quite been the same. Although he missed the cut in his most recent start at the Travelers Championship and a T50 finish at the PGA Championship, Rahm was able to get inside the top 10 at the U.S. Open and was a runner-up at the Mexico Open in late April.
However, after shooting a 3-over 74 on Thursday, he shot 1-under yesterday and turned on the jets on Saturday with a bogey-free 8-under 63, including a 6-under 30 on his final nine holes today. His third round marked the lowest score in the 13-time Open Championship history at Royal Liverpool.
Rahm, who recorded seven birdies over his final 10 holes, benefitted by the wind calming down and was able to gain more than seven strokes in the third round, with his best shot coming on the par-4 16th, making a 34-foot putt for birdie.
His 8-under 63 also marked the fourth time Rahm has recorded a round of 63 or better this season and first since his third round at the Mexico Open. Within those three tournaments (CJ Cup, Sentry Tournament, Mexico Open) Rahm has posted rounds of 63 or better, and he has finished no lower than fourth as he tries to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005 to win the Masters and the Open Championship in the same year.
Related: 10 best performances in Open Championship history
Cameron Young has a solid day, sitting in second place
Cameron Young, ranked No. 18 in the Official World Golf Ranking, came into this tournament without a PGA Tour victory, but has four top 10s, including a runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in March. Young is also coming off a top-10 finish at the John Deere Classic a couple of weeks ago in his most recent start.
After being 2-under par through 36 holes, the conditions played in favor of the field, including Rahm and Young.
Young opened his third round with a birdie and took another stroke off the board on the par-5 fifth. His only blemish came at the par-4 seventh with a bogey before he quickly responded with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 eighth and the par-3 ninth. His tee shot on the ninth got two feet for a tap-in birdie. Then on the back, Young remained at par or better on the back nine as he recorded birdies on the two par-5s, the 15th and the 18th.
Overall, Young shot 5-under of the day to get to 7-under par for the tournament and was in solo second heading into the final round and five strokes back of Harman.
Viktor Hovland emerges, part of the group at -5
Viktor Hovland, who was one of the picks in the Open Championship preview, responded after going 1-over 72 on Friday. On Saturday, he made sure his birdie-to-bogey ratio was in favor on the birdie side, shooting 5-under 66.
Like Young, Hovland birdied the opening hole before his only blemish on the par-4 second. He was able to get that shot back with a birdie on the par-5 fifth and added on with a birdie on the par-4 eighth to round out his front nine. On the back nine, Hovland recorded birdies on the 12th, 15th, and 18th, recording birdies on all three par-5s on the day.
Hovland was second in driving accuracy, fourth in strokes gained: total and seventh in both greens in regulation and strokes gained: putting.
Joining Hovland at 5-under and tied for fourth includes 2022-23 PGA Tour winners Jason Day, and Sepp Straka. In addition, the crowd favorite Tommy Fleetwood and Frenchman Antoine Rozner are there at 5-under par. Rozner took advantage of a chip-in for an eagle on the par-5 15th.