Scottie Scheffler takes grip of Open as Rory McIlroy charges up leaderboard
Fitzpatrick remained his main challenger, two back, reaching the turn in a two-under 34 but six holes ahead of them McIlroy was producing one of his thrilling charges.
Biding his time.
After six pars, Scottie has an eagle in round three. pic.twitter.com/y8JK4KwhjX
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025
The Northern Irishman had got off to a flying start with three birdies in his first four holes but, after a bizarre incident on the 11th when he hit out of the rough and dislodged a previously-buried ball, a bogey meant his challenge appeared to have stalled.
That was about the same time Scheffler eagled the seventh and the distance to the top was seven strokes.
However, on a Royal Portrush course where he shot 61 as a 16-year-old and backed by huge galleries, Masters champion McIlroy responded by draining a 56ft putt – his longest of the week – at the 12th to get back to seven under and still in contention.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?! 🤯
A second ball appears as Rory McIlroy plays his shot 😱 pic.twitter.com/iQX29qxc69
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 19, 2025
Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who started the day two under having been in danger of missing the cut until a birdie run on his Friday back nine, played the three par-fives in five under with two eagles on the back nine after a birdie at the second to shoot 66 and close on seven under.
Another birdie at the 15th and he too was level with McIlroy in a tie for fifth place, with Englishman Tyrrell Hatton ahead of them on eight under, aided by an eagle chip-in at the seventh.
Ahead of him was Haotong Li, whose solitary birdie and eight pars left him at nine under – not really in the conversation but definitely in the running.
But Scheffler remained the man to beat, as evidenced by his booming 382-yard drive and brilliant approach at the seventh that took him clear of Fitzpatrick again, who could only birdie for 11 under.
A 16-footer for birdie at the next gave the reigning US PGA champion a cushion but he could not afford to get too comfortable with world number two McIlroy riding the wave of home support.
The highlight of Yorkshireman John Parry's day was holing a 199-yard eight iron for an ace at the 13th in a round of 67 which saw him finish three under.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein return for series four of Ted Lasso
The Apple TV+ series follows an american football coach, Ted Lasso, played by We're The Millers star Jason Sudeikis, as he tries to manage a British football 'soccer' team, AFC Richmond. In series three, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) stepped up as assistant coach, alongside coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), while Ted (Sudeikis) dealt with personal issues back home. The fourth installment will see Ted return to Richmond to coach a second division women's football team. Along with Sudeikis, Game Of Thrones star Waddingham will return to reprise her role as the owner of AFC Richmond, Rebecca Welton, along with Wild Child actress Juno Temple who plays Keeley Jones. Goldstein will also return to the series along with Hunt and Jeremy Swift and a number of newcomers including Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack and Faye Marsey. Rex Hayes will also join season four along with Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely, who is stepping in as Ted's son, 'Henry'. Sudeikis executive produces alongside a number of others including Goldstein, who also serves as a writer. Ted Lasso has received 61 Emmy nominations in total and won 13, with Sudeikis picking up the lead actor in a comedy series gong in 2021 and 2022. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Open champion Scottie Scheffler does dominance his way
Your correspondent's general mood was not helped by an ailing laptop that had been showing signs of giving up the ghost. Over the weekend, for example, the R and the T buttons on the keyboard were only working intermittently. That, as you can imagine, caused a bit of an issue for a spell as we started feverishly typing away like Angela Lansbury during the opening credits of an episode of Murder She Wrote. Scottie Scheffler would often appear on my word document as Scoie Scheffle, Portrush came out as Poush and Robert MacIntyre was diminished to obe MacInye. To be fair, it probably made more sense than the cobblers I usually type but the computer caper became a right old pain in the a***. And even that came out as ase. We got there in the end, though. Another Open is done and dusted. Perhaps I should've just flung the laptop on the media centre pyre too? Scheffler was a brilliant champion at a brilliant venue. I also thought he dealt brilliantly with the inevitable and wearisome comparisons to Tiger Woods too. 'I think they're a bit silly,' he said about the prospects of emulating the 15 major titles that Woods racked up. In this game, we are never done with premature anointments and coronations as we seek a new golfing hero for the ages. Rory McIlroy, for instance, was tagged with that burdensome 'next Tiger' label when he won a quartet of major championships between 2011 and 2014. We all know what happened after that. He didn't win another until this year's Masters during a prolonged drought that just about led to a hose pipe ban. Jordan Spieth had the Tiger sticker slapped on his back when he won three majors between 2015 and 2017 while Brooks Koepka had it pinned on him for a spell when he reeled off four in a two-year blitz. The magnitude of Woods' accomplishments, of course, continue to dwarf all that the new generation have achieved. In an era of relative parity in the men's game, Scheffler, who became the 12th successive first-time winner of The Open, has emerged as its dominant force but it's important to enjoy the present and savour watching him pen his own success story instead of obsessing about him re-writing Tiger's tale. Establishing a Tiger-like tyranny on the global game would require Scheffler to continue his sustained excellence over a ridiculous period of time. While all and sundry work themselves into a fankle about the prospect of Scheffler doing this, that and the other in the weeks, months and years to come, the man himself retains a wonderful sense of reason. Never too up, never too down, just serene, level-headed middle ground. He seems to be at total peace with himself. As men's professional golf in its upper echelons descended into a civil war over the past couple of years with the emergence of the LIV rebellion, it's perhaps no coincidence that the calmest man in the room has prevailed and prospered. In this fractured time, when egos, greed and entitlement have grabbed much of the attention, the grounded Scheffler is just the right man to be on top of the golfing world. He is largely unaffected by fame and fortune, and all the talk of greatness tends to be greeted with a nonchalant shrug. 'I don't identify myself by winning tournaments, chasing trophies, being famous or whatever it is,' he said. 'There are two Chipotles (a restaurant chain) that I eat at when I'm home. If I was to go to the one near to where I grew up and try to eat nowadays, it would be very difficult for me. 'But there's another one in a different part of town and if I go there, nobody recognises me ever.' In the post-Tiger age, Scheffler's relative anonymity can highlight golf's place in the wider scheme of global sports. With the exception of Woods and McIlroy, golf's stars can't really hold a candle to the shining lights in other pursuits Have a meander into the remote jungles of Sarawak and you'll probably stumble upon a village elder wearing a Lionel Messi football shirt, a Ronaldo top or a Steph Curry basketball vest. I'm being slightly outlandish here, but you get the idea. These sportsmen, and these sports, have a reach across cultures and continents. Scheffler, on the other hand, could walk down just about any high street, or into a Chipotle diner, and most folk wouldn't bat an eyelid. That's not Scheffler's fault, of course. In these hark-at-me-times, he'd probably have a higher profile if he was prone to headline-grabbing comments or lively antics on or off the course. But that ain't Scheffler. And that's absolutely fine. His talent and achievements alone should be enough to attract acclaim. Many, though, still view his persona as more day at the office than box office. Undervalued? Perhaps. But unrivalled? There's no doubt. The magnificent Scheffler will continue to do his dominance his way.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Venus Williams makes a winning return to action at the age of 45
The 45-year-old seven-time grand slam tournament winner accepted a wildcard to compete in the Mubadala Citi DC Open this week. She and fellow American Baptiste proved too strong for Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue as they triumphed 6-3 6-1 in a last-16 encounter that lasted 72 minutes. Her comeback will continue as she takes on another American in Peyton Stearns in the first round of the singles. It is Williams' first appearances in a WTA Tour event since March 2024. 'It was great to come out here and see the energy,' Williams said on Sky Sports after the match. 'As we were walking out to the court, we knew this was going to be a match. 'Our opponents actually played very well. It wasn't easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team. It was inspiring to be out here. I love this game and still hitting it big.' Williams joked she wished she could have partnered with Baptiste, the 23-year-old world number 50, years earlier rather than playing with her sister Serena. She said: 'I think from the first point, I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way!' Emma Raducanu enjoyed rare doubles success in Washington (Adam Davy/PA) Britain's Emma Raducanu scored an eye-catching win on her doubles debut alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Competing together for the first time, the duo fought back from an early deficit to beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Britain's Olivia Nicholls 2-6 7-6 (4) 11-9 in a decisive tie-break set. It was a notable win for Raducanu and Rybakina against opponents who triumphed at the Berlin Open last month and also reached the final at Indian Wells earlier this year. Look at what it means!!! ❤️🔥 2023 champion Dan Evans digs deep to overcome Bergs 3-6 6-4 6-3 to progress in Washington. @mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — ATP Tour (@atptour) July 21, 2025 British number one Katie Boulter fell at the first hurdle in the singles as she went out 3-6 4-6 to Greece's Maria Sakkari. Boulter lost her opening service game in each set and was never able to regain the initiative. Earlier, former men's singles champion Dan Evans enjoyed a triumphant return to the tournament as he came from behind to beat Zizou Bergs. Evans, the veteran former British number one, triumphed in 2023 but opted not to defend his title last year as he focused on the Olympics. The 35-year-old was awarded a wildcard to participate this time and took advantage as he overcame a slow start to beat the Belgian Bergs, the world number 52, 3-6 6-4 6-3. Bergs looked to have resisted the fightback when he edged back ahead with a break in the final set but Evans powered back to secure victory by winning four successive games. 'I didn't just want to take the wildcard and lose,' Evans said on Sky Sports. 'I felt I needed to pay them back a bit and try to 'defend' my title, because I couldn't last year. 'It was great, really enjoyed it, but it was rally difficult. There wasn't much rhythm. He played very well and I was lucky to come through that.'
