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Big time on the 14th. Rory McIlroy desperately needs to get up and down after his approach blocks on the slopes around the putting surfaces. He puts it up and will look for birdie, but from about 15 feet.
Up front Cameron Smith was a bit unlucky with a misguided drive. He is in fluffy rough and finds the green.
Speith negotiates the road and road equipment. He secures a tie for 17th. Brian Harman then sets a goal of 13 under the clubhouse. Will be passed but with good effort and 66 to close.
5.45pm BST standings
The results of the doors:
-19: Smith (14) -18: McIlroy (13) -17: Young (14) -15: Hovland (13) -14: Johnson (15)
Rory McIlroy, now the hunter rather than the hunted, begins his own journey down the 14th hole to a perfect start. His drive finds the fairway. Cameron Young birdies the 14th – he’s one back from McIlroy.
Updated at 17.45 BST
Cameron Smith two shots off the green on the 14th to take the lead. A remarkable recovery from the two-time winner from 2022, who looked bereft of the pitch last night.
Jordan Spieth finds the fairway on the 17th. One of the world’s most creative golfers is about to be tested with tarmac, gravel and a shaft cover (which might just be out of his line to be honest). You don’t get that at Augusta National.
Sensational shot from Rory McIlroy narrowly slips! His birdie putt was 60 feet and he needed just a few more inches. Tap in par. Victor Hovland makes gods.
That was so close to Rory. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters
Updated at 17.39 BST
McIlroy found the putting green on the 13th. But he is nowhere near the pin. Has his patience worn off? His only birdies today came from two shots.
A confident Niall O’Keefe emails: “Rory Mack is cool. Cameron Smith not so much. So Rory wins. QED?” I’m not sure it’s that simple, Niall!
Half a dozen holes to play in the 150th Open and how did the leaders play the final third of the course through the first three rounds? Victor Hovland is six under, Cameron Smith three, Rory McIlroy two, Cameron Young one. Oh, terrible.
Cameron Smith joins Rory on -18. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters
Updated at 17.31 BST
Cameron Smith joins the lead! As Dave and I switch chairs (metaphorically), he drains another birdie putt. Four in a row. how is your heart
Updated at 17.28 BST
This is getting tense. Very tense. It’s time to jump into a cold bath as Matt takes you to the 16th hole. As I sign off, Rory has found the end of the fairway on 13.
Rory misses again! Now that’s becoming a concern for McIlroy. Those shots just don’t look like they’re falling. He’s one in front, but how long after Cam Smith launches an approach at about 12-foot-13? Hovland gets his birdie on 12 and is again just two behind McIlroy. Keep an eye on Cameron Young as well, as he has a seven-footer for birdie that comes on 13 to get to 16 under.
Brilliant shot from Viktor Hovland on 12 and surely now he will make his first birdie of the day. McIlroy’s isn’t as fresh and he’s about 10 feet away, a distance he just hasn’t holed anything from before. A big hit is coming. Cam Smith made a mess of 13 yesterday, but this time he’s in the short grass with his putt.
5.17pm BST standings
As Rory blasts his putt on the par-4 12th just short of the green, let’s check out the results.
-18: McIlroy (11) -17: Smith (12) -15: Young (12), Hovland (11) -13: D Johnson (13) -12: Harman (16), Spieth (15), Fleetwood (13) ) )
Cameron Smith gives it his all. Huge danger for Rory now as the punches continue to fall. His 12-footer for birdie curls into the 12th hole and he’s at -17 and just one back of McIlroy. Cameron Young holds a testing par putt and is three off.
A middle-aged man in the crowd held up a paper sign (a felt-tip pen on an A4 sheet) that said, “This day belongs to Rory.” We will see. Victor Hovland isn’t going away yet and is three behind after an excellent up and down putt at 10. Rory shouts ‘sit’ after his shot at 11 but he lands safely and a shout of ‘go’ would actually be better. Hovland isn’t happy with his effort on the par 3, but it’s all good and he’ll have maybe 20-25 feet for birdie. On 14, Spieth bogeyed to signal the end of any outside challenge.
Cam Smith has a rolling eagle putt on 12, but it lets out a disappointing grunt as it curls slowly up the hill and goes 12 feet. Rory’s 40-footer on 11 never threatens, so it’s another two-putt green. Hovland can’t convert his and remains three behind his playing partner.
Scotty Scheffler as a Homer Simpson meme. Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 17.19 BST
Jordan Spieth makes a complete mess of the par-5 14th. He drives into a pot bunker, plays back, hits his third shot close to the green and then slices his small green in the style of a twitchy 18-handicapper. Looking there gods; possibly worse. It catches. Victor Hovland chips in from the rough at 10 and misses the green.
Up to 11 and here comes Cameron Smith! The Aussie’s putter is hot again today and he just holed a birdie putt to close in on McIlroy. But not for long! Rory hits a majestic lag putt from well over 100 feet on 10 and he goes in for birdie to reach 18 under and regain the two-shot lead.
A lovely little putt from Cam Smith at the 10th and he’s within two of McIlroy after dropping the putt for birdie, just. And Cameron Young is also just two bogeys after a two-putt birdie from the center of 10. That’s the distance Rory has left after his tee shot travels to the right edge of the same massive double green, his ball ending up closer to 8th flag. Now Smith looks a threat. He halved McIlroy’s lead and hit a great putt on 11 to set up another birdie. Young is about 30 feet away.
Updated at 16.58 BST
The first shot on the 9 is Victor Hovland from about 20 feet. It’s a nice shot, but it always seems to go right off the middle of its path. para. It’s an outside nine of +1, not enough. Now for eight foot Rory… and no sir. It grabs part of the right edge, but is always missing. McIlroy took two shots on all nine greens. The good news is that he has two advantages.
Cameron Young drives to the green on 10, but he misses more than 100 feet. Cam Smith avoids the bunkers and his ball stops about 20 yards short of the green. Two good chances to make birdie there.
Dustin Johnson makes a nice putt on 11 to move to -13, which is now a solo fifth. Jordan Spieth hits a poor first shot but an excellent second shot from 12 feet to save par at 13 and is tied for sixth with Tommy Fleetwood (11 holes) at -12. Now Rory was standing over a 57-yard field goal for his second strike on the nine. He lofts it and lays to about eight feet for birdie
Cameron Young makes his move. Photo: Paul Childs/Reuters
Updated at 16.57 BST
The surprise of the day is Scotty Scheffler – and not in a good way. He misses shot after shot and was three over for the round until he finally birdied 10. He drove the green but missed the putt, obviously. Another player going the wrong way is Adam Scott, who double-bogeys 12 – another driveable hole – after his unplanned visit to the gorse bushes. This brings it back from -13 to -11.
On nine, Cameron Young does great after finding trouble, while Cameron Smith misses a great birdie chance from nine feet. Both are now 14 under and three behind Rory. McIlroy pulls the driver on the same 9th hole and blocks it fair. But no problems there. “Perfect miss,” says Nick Faldo in commentary.
This is what Sergio Garcia told the Spanish newspaper Marca. Strong stuff.
I’m clear about what I’m going to do with the European tour, I’ll probably leave it. I want to play where they want me, I like to feel loved and to be honest on the European tour now I don’t feel loved.
When Thomas Bjorn comes to the BMW International Open and tells us “We don’t want any of you and all the players say so”, well, I’m old enough and suffering enough to put up with that kind of nonsense.
I have what I have and I am very happy with it and I want to enjoy it to the fullest. I will play less, I will be at home more.
But to be honest, I don’t really care either. Sorry about the Ryder Cup, but because of the way I play, I wouldn’t be for the Ryder either. My resignation is not official, but I will make it effective.
Updated at 16.38 BST
Cameron Young latched onto it from the 9th tee and rolled it left. However, he may have simply cleared a dense concentration of brushwood. Someone who isn’t is Adam Scott, who has all sorts of helpers rummaging through the leaves for his prom on the 12th. Good luck with that. Cameron Smith finds the fairway on 9. Actually, Young fines the thick stuff, so it’s a waste of a penalty. He will be playing his third game so there is still a chance to salvage a draw.
Back on 8, McIlroy and Hovland are two shots back. Rory remains two out.
Thanks Matt. Rory reminds me of an athlete in a 1500m race. He knows that on this course he is the best runner in the field and can cover any break. He kept up with the pace on the first lap, kept Cameron Smith in his sights when the Australian hit on lap two and went with Viktor Hovland on lap three when the Norwegian kicked early. They took the bell and now McIlroy wants to move away so he can tee off, Steve Ovett-style, coming down the final straight.
He just played a safe putt into the heart of the par-3 8th green. Outside big chance.
Updated at 16.31 BST
4.27pm BST standings
Cameron Young is hanging around. Remember that the top four have the short par-fours 9th and 10th. And with that, back to Dave. -17: McIlroy (7) -15: Hovland (7), Young (8) -14: Smith (8) -13: Scott (11)
The unfixed bed on the 7th green is not a problem for…
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